Home
by tmtcltb
Summary: Danny struggles with memories of his family and friends as they approach his home state, while trying to build a future with Kara. Future timeline after season 2.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Danny stood at the rail, staring at the coastline barely visible in the distance, illuminated by the setting sun. It all seemed so normal - the swells hitting the hull of the destroyer, the scent of the cold salt water, the slight chill. For a moment he could almost believe that he was on the ferry to New London, ready to grab the train to Hartford. His parents had never failed to meet him there for the final drive home to Cornwall, no matter how late the train was running or how little notice he had given them of his arrival. _Home_. Funny how Cornwall had always seemed like home, even though he hadn't actually lived there for years. But when he thought about _home_ , it wasn't a navy base that came to mind (any of the five different ones that he had been stationed at over the years), but instead the backwater town where he had grown up. He could picture it so clearly: his parents' rambling old colonial that was boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter, the scent of the candles that his mother matched to the season – floral aromas during the summer and then switching to cookies and pumpkins as the holidays grew near, and the stream of people that seemed to constantly flow through the house.

Danny had never questioned the unbroken presence as a child. The son of the local doctor and the high school principle, his parents known everyone, and everyone had known them. Both had grown up in Cornwall and, after moving away for college and, in his mother's case, medical school, they had returned to build their careers and their family. From his earliest memories, Danny's home had been a hub of activity, as people came to his parents for advice or for company. Later there had been friends his own age coming and going – his and Caro's – and eventually Chris's friends too. A familiar pain grew in his chest at the thought of Chris, and Danny took a deep breath to ease it. More than ten years apart in age, Chris had driven Danny crazy during his teen years. The pesky little brother that always seemed to be following him and his friends around, tormenting them with ridiculous questions and appearing at the most inopportune moments ( _"Danny and Sarah, up in a tree,_ _KISSIN_ G…."). In the past few years though, Danny had begun spending more time with his brother, noticing Chris's sly sense of humor and keen observation of the world around him. Danny had finally begun enjoying spending time with his brother, regaling him and his friends with stories of life in the navy. Chris had even begun mentioning the possibility of enlisting himself – once he was done with college, of course. There had never been any question that the Green children were expected to finish at least a four year degree and so Chris had begun the same round of college visits that Danny had experienced at eighteen.

Danny knew how disappointed his parents had been when he elected to join the navy, rather than move on to graduate school. But they had hidden their disappointment (and fear), and had immersed themselves in learning about his new life. Danny smiled at the memory. That was his parents, supporting him in his chosen profession even though it was something that they – _a healer, a teacher_ – could not understand. Their priority had been to love and support their children. And he had never questioned their dedication. Taking it for granted until it was gone. Just like he'd done with Caroline.

Danny stared into the growing darkness. Caroline – _Caro_. Only a year apart, they had been inseparable. He had started calling her Caro to annoy her, nobody else would have dared, but over time it had become an affectionate nickname between the two of them. Brilliant, independent and stubborn, Caro had always known exactly who she was. He had been both baffled and awed by her ability to make a decision in an instant and never second guess herself. Unlike Danny, Caro had decided on her career path as a nurse at the tender age of four and never wavered. While his parents had spent months touring colleges with him, trying to figure out what school "felt right" ( _how ridiculous that seemed now_ ), Caro had applied to only one. She had never questioned that she would be accepted. And yet, despite their differences, she had been his best friend. He forced her out of her studious, reserved shell, and she amused him with her wit and biting commentary. Caro had always understood him in a way that he, in retrospect, had not understood her. Not that he had thought so at the time, but after months to ponder their last conversation, he now understood how much he had hurt her, too wrapped up in his own pain to see hers.

" _How could you treat Rebecca that way?" Caro yelled as she stormed into the room where Danny had been lying, staring at the ceiling, for the last hour. "Ten years, Danny! You've been together for ten years! Doesn't that deserve something more than a 'it's me not you speech'?"_

 _Danny didn't look at her, continuing to watch the planetarium on the ceiling. How old had he been when he and his father made it? Twelve maybe? He wondered why he'd never taken it down in the years since. "It's none of your business, Caro. This is between me and Rebecca."_

" _That's crap and you know it. I'm your sister. She's my best friend. I was the one that asked her out for you the first time, remember? You've never even bought her a birthday present without running it by me first. Last I heard you were planning a trip to Niagara and talking about rings! And now suddenly you're dumping her? What the hell happened?" Caro paused and narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you do something stupid?"_

 _Danny sat up, sighing. He wasn't ready for a debate with Caro. He was still too raw from the conversation with Rebecca. Of course Caro would assume that it was his fault. Everyone knew that Rebecca was crazy about him. That she was dedicated to their future. She would never do something "stupid." Hell, she probably would have forgiven him if he had cheated on her, as Caro was insinuating. "Nothing happened. She wants to get married – have kids. I'm not ready for any of that. I'm not sure that I'll ever be ready for that." He tripped over the words. It was the truth, but not the whole truth. How could he explain to Caro something that he didn't really understand himself? That it just didn't feel right?_

" _That's crap and you know it." Carol snapped. "Of course Rebecca wants to get married, but she'd understand if you wanted to wait. Now that she's done with school you could live together a while. Get used to each other again. Ease into the transition."_

" _And what if I don't want to? What if I don't want to be with her anymore?" The words spilling out before he could stop them. "Doesn't she deserve better than that? Don't I deserve better? We started dating at seventeen, Caro. I'm not the same person anymore. She's not the same person. We both need to move on."_

 _But Caro pushed away the words as though she hadn't heard them. "You're scared, aren't you? She told me that she was hoping that you would leave the navy once this enlistment was up. Get a civilian job, come back to Connecticut, have a normal life. That scared the crap out of you, didn't it? Scared that you might not be the hero anymore? That you would no longer be the amazing Danny Green, off single-handedly fighting the evil dictators of the world!"_

 _Danny stared at her, taken aback by her anger. He had thought Caro understood. It wasn't about being a hero. It was about building his own life, something apart from his family, something away from this town. About being part of a team. It was even about helping people. Different than the way Caro helped people, of course, but his way of giving back. Still, the barb stung. As Caro had known that it would. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean? Who are you or Rebecca or anyone else to tell me how to live my life? Am I supposed to marry her just because you and Mom and Dad and everyone else in this crap town thinks I should?"_

" _Well someone needs to tell you what to do. Have you ever made one decision on your own? Even when we were kids you could never make up your mind. Isn't that why you joined the navy? To have someone else tell you what to do?" Caro held his gaze. "I bet Frankie is behind this. He's always had it out for Rebecca."_

" _Frankie had nothing to do with this." Danny snapped back, even though they both knew it wasn't true. "This is me, Caro. This is what I want. And nothing you say is going to change my mind."_

 _Her anger suddenly disappearing, Caro dashed a hand across her cheek to knock away a tear._ " _You didn't even tell me, Danny. I didn't find out until I called Rebecca to make plans for tonight. She assumed I knew, and was pissed that I didn't warn her. I had to find out from Dad what she was talking about."_

 _And suddenly he understood. This wasn't just about him and Rebecca. This was about him and Caro, his sister, his best friend, his sounding board. "Caro…" The silence stretched as he tried to find the words to say. But the moment was lost._

 _Yanking open the door, Caro paused for a moment to look back. "You are an idiot, Daniel Joshua Green. Go back to the navy, your ship. Go play war hero. But someday you are going to look back at today and regret it with every fiber of your being."_

Danny's hand bit into the rail. Caro had been right, as usual. Not in the way she had meant it, of course, but she had still been right. It had been the last time that he spoke to her. Hurt and angry, he'd left that evening to return to Norfolk, arriving just in time to join Frankie and Smith for a last minute trip to the Bahamas. He'd talked to his parents and Christopher in the next few months, but he and Caro had maintained an icy silence. And he regretted that more than anything else in his life.

"I thought you might be here." Kara's calm voice broke through his thoughts….


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Kara stepped carefully out onto the deck, making sure that both feet were firmly planted before easing the door shut. The water was getting choppier as late fall arrived in New England, bringing with it storm season, and the last thing she wanted to do was face-plant into the floor.

The last time she remembered feeling this gangly was as a sophomore in high school. She had hit a growth spurt in the middle of basketball season, spurting up more than two inches, and her sudden inability to make it down the court without tripping had taken her from starter to bench warmer. She wasn't going to give Captain Chandler (or Danny) any reason to kick her off the ship.

Kara picked her way across the deck, headed to the bow. It had been more than two months since they left St. Louis. They had remained at the gateway city for only three weeks – just long enough to patch the hull, reload the weapons, and get Dr. Scott through the worst of her recovery. Although there had been some definite benefits to the layover (real beds came to mind), the destruction that the virus had caused had become starkly real as they had traveled through the surrounding area, split into various teams to spread the cure as widely as possible. There had been days when they didn't find a single survivor. Pollard Kansas, where Kara had grown up, had been decimated. But then there had been moments when it was all worth it. At Prairie City, fifty miles north of Pollard, the quarantine had held. In that moment – seeing a city filed with thousands of people, children, surviving together, working together – she had caught a glimpse of what their future might be like – she, Danny and their little one – once the immediacy of spreading the cure was through.

Still, Kara had been relieved to be back on board the Nathan James. Without her appreciating it, the Nathan James had started to feel like home, the crew to feel like family. Since their departure two months ago, she had lost track of the number of places that they had stopped – first down to New Orleans, then a quick trip west to Houston and Galveston, circling back around to Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and, Sarasota, before finally heading north. Now that the crew was outside of the contagious window of the cure, they had begun spreading the cure by aerosol for larger groups and individual shots, supplemented with the booster to make the recipient contagious, for the less populated areas. Rather than the six weeks that Kara had originally, naively, quoted to her mother, it had been more than four months before they had made port again at Norfolk.

The gorgeous tanzanite that she now wore on her left hand sparkled in the setting sun. Four months had been more than enough time for her mother to plan a wedding. (Kara was fairly certain that the wedding planning had begun the moment that Danny asked for her mother's blessing, no waiting for the official engagement announcement.) It had turned out that prior to the epidemic, Peter was the owner of Parlay, a French restaurant with a spectacular view of the Chesapeake Bay and an ideal venue for a wedding. O'Connor had found a generator and gotten the power going, and Peter and Bacon (who had been bribed by Danny's promise to serve as his personal trainer for a month) had turned out a spread that would have put a royal wedding to shame. Somehow her mother had even found her a dress that fit Kara perfectly – the lace folds falling from her bosom to her knees almost hiding her protruding belly. Master Chief had conducted the ceremony, and most of the crew had found their way to the reception at one point or another. Even Captain Chandler had swung by, Dr. Scott by his side, to congratulate them. It hadn't been anything like the wedding that she had dreamed about as a child. But it had been perfect.

As she reached the bow, Kara caught sight of Danny standing by the rail, his hair ruffling in the breeze, his back rigid as he stared at the approaching shore. "I thought you might be here. We should arrive at New London in a couple of hours." Kara spoke softly as she stopped next to him, turning slightly to accommodate her growing stomach. "Thinking about your family?"

He didn't respond immediately, and Kara waited. Danny spoke of his family rarely, the memories too painful. Losing Frankie had been terrible, but at least there had been certainty in what happened, and that had provided some closure. As time passed, Danny had been able to focus more and more on the happy memories – as opposed to those last horrific moments. But they both knew that there was a very real possibility that he might never know what happened to his parents and siblings – that he might never find out anything. That he might live the remainder of his life wondering how they had died, or even whether they were still alive. Kara had watched that uncertainty – worse than a death in so many ways – eat away at the XO for the last six months. And she had sensed that same tension in Danny as they approached his old stomping ground. During the time that they had spent in New York City, she knew his thoughts had turned more and more towards Connecticut and what they might find there. She could only hope that they would be able to find something – anything – to let them know what had happened.

"I was thinking about Caro." Danny admitted, his voice gravelly. "I should have called her before we left. I should have told her that no matter what had happened, that we were okay."

Kara's hand came up to rest gently on his arm. "She knew, Danny. She knew that you were just being stubborn. Not wanting to be the first to give."

"She reached out, though." Danny pulled out his phone, the only connection he had left of his family, illuminating the screen so he could look at Caro's final text. _Catch you on the flip side._ "For Caro, that was huge. Caro is – was – such a force of nature. Cruz hated her you know. She came down to Lejeune one time to visit and he did something to piss her off. I never found out what it was, but she spent the rest of the week tormenting him. He said it was like being flayed alive."

Kara arched an eyebrow at Danny. It was hard to imagine someone getting through Cruz's imperturbable exterior. Everything seemed to roll off him. Of course, Cruz, like all of them, had changed. On their second trip through New Orleans, Cruz had finally made it to his family's home, but the news had not been good. Danny and Carlton had helped him bury his parents before they left.

Danny slid the phone back into his pocket. "I should have answered her."

"So why didn't you?" Kara asked, her hand moving up and down his arm gently. "I know the fight was about Rebecca, Danny. You can tell me. It's okay. I don't care."

The last part was a lie, of course. It _was_ hard to listen to him talk about another woman, no matter how carefully he chose his words – and Danny didn't always choose his words all that carefully. She hated the idea of him smiling at another woman, the special smile that he saved just for her, the one that made her feel like the only woman in the world. She hated the idea of another woman waiting for him at the end of a deployment, jumping into his arms after the months of separation, pulling him in for a kiss. And not just any other woman – but one woman – Rebecca. He had spent _years_ with Rebecca. They had been together less than one. No, it wasn't easy. But Danny needed to talk to someone, and right now she was it. Besides, it was ridiculous to be jealous of a woman who was probably dead.

Danny entwined his fingers through Kara's, his thumb rubbing across her ring. "Talking to Caro is never easy. She has a way of getting you to admit things that you don't want to. I was afraid, I guess. Afraid that Caro would talk me into calling Rebecca, into patching things up before we left. I figured that waiting a few more months wouldn't hurt."

The words stung, even though she hadn't even met Danny at the time. Had he really gotten over Rebecca? Kara struggled to find something to say. "You have to move on, Danny. Would Caro want you to be torturing yourself like this?"

She was surprised when Danny suddenly grinned at her, laughing. She stared at him, puzzled by the sudden change in his mood. "You don't know much about siblings, Miss Only Child. Caro would _love_ to know that she got under my skin. It's been one of her favorite pastimes for the last 28 years."

"Really?" Kara asked uncertainly. The only child of two only children, she hadn't even had cousins and the love/hate dynamic that siblings displayed had always mystified her.

"You'll see in a couple of years, once we give this guy a playmate." Danny set his hand down lightly on her stomach, and in response, the baby kicked a foot – or hand or elbow. Kara really had no idea despite Rachel telling her how the baby was positioned.

Kara gaped at Danny. "I haven't even given birth to this one and you're planning _more_?"

After a quick glance around the deck, Danny leaned towards her, giving her that smile that always melted her heart, hooking his hand under her chin to tilt it up. "First a boy, to take care of his little siblings. And then a girl who looks just like her mama. After that we can talk…" Just as their lips touched, the baby jerked, head butting Danny in the stomach. Surprised by the sudden movement, Danny stepped back.

"It seems like he doesn't like that idea." Danny remarked. "Are you sure that you have another five weeks to go? There doesn't seem to be much room left in there."

Kara shook her head at him, laughing. "At least. Rachel said first babies tend to be late. And by the way, I'm still convinced that this is a girl."

Danny opened his mouth, no doubt to argue with her, but Kara motioned to the petty officer making his way down the deck towards them and took a discrete step back, making sure to put the appropriate amount of space between them. Giving her a nod, he turned towards Danny.

"Lieutenant Green, we made contact with someone in New London. She's asked for you by name."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"Lieutenant Green, we made contact with someone in New London." Petty Officer Pearson stopped before Danny. "The woman asked for you by name."

A woman? Danny's heart began pounding, his chest suddenly too tight to breathe. Could it be Caro? His mother? At this point, he'd be overjoyed to learn that it was Mrs. Metevier, his third grade teacher. "Did she identify herself?"

"Lieutenant Granderson didn't say, sir, just that it was a woman." Petty Officer Pearson replied, his voice apologetic.

"Go," Kara said instantly, excitement sparkling in her eyes. He knew that she was thinking the same thing as he was – _could it be his family?_

"I have to go see Doctor Scott anyway to get cleared to join the land team tomorrow," Kara added. Distracted for a moment, Danny paused. He had planned to join Kara for her checkup. Not that Kara would keep it from him if something was wrong, but it was reassuring to hear that everything was going well from Dr. Scott herself. Danny had secretly been hoping that Doctor Scott (or Doc Rios or Captain Chandler or, well, anyone) would bar Kara from joining the ground teams, but he knew the likelihood of that happening was slim. Even with the reinforcements that they had found in Norfolk, the Nathan James was down another ten hands from when they left St. Louis, and they hadn't been at full capacity when they arrived. Still, it would be so much easier knowing that she was here, safe on the ship (or at least as safe as she could be).

He didn't know what he would do if he lost her – lost them. Just the thought was a kick to the gut. But he had felt the baby kicking just minutes ago, and – apart from her growing stomach – Kara didn't even seem pregnant most of the time. He had always imagined that pregnant women were constantly sick, eating things like ice cream and pickles, and falling asleep on a dime. But Kara hadn't been like that at all. If anything, she had become more focused – spending long hours in CIC training the junior COs and still finding time to meet Danny at the gym for her daily workout. Recently he had noticed that she seemed tired, though. and during the last month she had begun to waddle, something that he had mindlessly commented on one day. Even Tex had winced at that remark, noting that Danny was not going to be winning any sensitivity awards.

His focus back on Pearson's unexpected news, Danny gave Kara a quick nod, striding after the petty officer in the direction of the radio room. Ducking through the door, Danny was surprised to see the XO was present.

Alisha passed Danny the headphones. "We've made contact with a woman from New London who claims to be located in a safe zone. She wouldn't identify herself or tell us where she was but she asked a number of questions about the ship. It seemed like she was testing whether we were actually the navy."

 _Damn Ramseys._

Although the XO hadn't spoken, Danny knew what he was thinking. Even in death that pair was still causing havoc in their efforts to spread the cure. New York had been the same. The Immunes' message had spread further than they originally realized, augmented by various local warlords that had used the Ramseys' misinformation for their own advancement. It had taken work, and time (time which they could hardly afford to expend given how quickly the virus continued to spread), to gain the trust of the survivors, many of who had been holed up in safe zones for months with only rumors of a cure. The idea that one existed had been too miraculous to believe, at first. "Do you think it's a ruse, sir?"

"It sounds more like she was being cautious," Slattery replied. "We're hearing reports of armed groups in the vicinity, and she asked for you by name – even knew that you were part of the mountain warfare unit. I know that you grew up near here. How many people would know that you were attached to the Nathan James?"

"I grew up about an hour north, sir. It's a small town. Pretty much everyone would have known which ship I was attached to. People used to like to write me during deployments and sometimes the elementary school would gather supplies for us as a project – toothpaste and DVDs, stuff like that." Danny replied as he slid on the headphones. Slattery nodded, a faraway look in his eyes, and Danny wondered whether the XO's children had done something similar, back in the day. Danny still found it jarring to think of the grizzled XO as a father, but very occasionally there were moments like this, moments when Danny could see a tiny glimpse of the man's life away from the ship, and how much he had lost. "See what you can find out, Green. It would be nice to have some local allies to give us the lay of the land."

"Understood, sir." Danny waited for Alisha to give him the signal. "This is Lieutenant Daniel Green on the Nathan James, hailing anyone in New London."

No response. Danny looked at Alisha. "Give it a minute…"

 _"Danny?"_

For a second he was stunned to silence.

"Rebecca?"

Danny's knees felt weak and he leaned against the wall to stop himself from toppling over. Of all of the possibilities that he had considered on his walk down to the radio room, his mind spinning a mile a minute, this was not one of them. What was she doing in New London? How had she managed to survive? And if she had done it, did that mean that his family might have too?

"Danny, oh my god. I never thought that I would hear your voice again." Despite the terrible connection, it was clear that she was sobbing.

Alisha's eyebrows rose at the surprising and uninhibited reaction.

The XO was less restrained. "What the hell, Green?"

Hand over the mouthpiece, Danny met the XO's eyes. "Rebecca Carlton. A microbiologist with Children's Hospital in Hartford. She specialized in cancer drugs for kids." Danny paused, but then admitted what was likely painfully obvious. "An ex-girlfriend."

"Where are you, Rebecca?" Danny asked, speaking back into the microphone. "Is Caro with you? My parents or Chris?" There was a moment of silence. "Rebecca? Are you still there?"

"Sorry." Her voice caught in a sob. "I just can't believe that you're alive. Recently it seemed like …. Well, nobody seems to be answering anymore. Last I heard, your mom and Chris were up north at a safe zone. They were in Vermont when the quarantines went into effect and couldn't get home. Caro and your dad had turned the house into a refuge. Caro said she might head over to memorial hospital. I haven't heard from her in a while now. Communication has been spotty."

Danny closed his eyes, hope warring with despair. If Caro had gone to the hospital…he knew that the odds were not good. The virus had spread through health professionals like a wildfire, taking the majority of them out in the first few months of the pandemic. But if his mother and Chris were in Vermont, they might still be safe. And his father. Their home in Cornwall was isolated. It was possible… He pushed the thoughts away. Right now he needed to focus. "What's your situation?"

"I'm in New London. When the quarantines were put in place, the governor set up teams of specialists in each zone. At last count there were just over 4,000 people in various places around the city. We've been taking in survivors as well, doing what we can without breaking quarantine. A couple months ago a few trucks arrived with doses of a cure, but the trucks stopped and we heard rumors that the laboratory had been destroyed. We've been rationing the last few doses for the children." Rebecca's voice broke. "Please tell me that you have more."

"We do. We have the cure. Enough for everyone," Danny replied, horrified at the idea of deciding who to give the cure to. Deciding who would live and who would die. _If he was forced to choose between Kara and the baby – how could he decide?_ "What kind of security do you have there? Any problems we should be aware of?"

"We have a few cops and state troopers left," Rebecca replied. "Eddie's here. He and his little boy. Amber didn't make it."

"I'm sorry. I know that you were close." A picture of Eddie and Amber sprang to the front of his mind. It was their wedding, two or three years ago, Danny couldn't remember exactly. A wedding that he'd attended with Rebecca, back in the day. An abnormally warm day for fall in Connecticut, the afterhours party had moved outdoors to enjoy the lingering warmth. They had all been drinking of course, and Eddie had been swinging Amber around the makeshift dance floor, oblivious to the fact that he had two left feet and was bumping into people every other steps. Their joy and love for each other had been infectious. And now Amber was dead. Mostly likely along with the vast majority of the guests that had attended the wedding that warm fall day, celebrating a marriage that would be over in only a few short years. "Any problems with gangs or warlords?"

"No, nothing of that sort," Rebecca replied. "We've heard of problems up north, though, from newer arrivals."

XO signaled him to cut off the call. "We should make land tomorrow in the early am." Danny knew that they would actually arrive late evening but didn't want to forewarn anyone that was eavesdropping on the open line. "I'll be in touch then. Be safe, Rebecca."

His mind spun from the sudden influx of information – _Rebecca was alive, Caro was probably dead, his mother and Chris somewhere in a safe zone, his father at the house_. It was all too much to process.

"Time to update the Captain." Slattery headed towards the door. "Lieutenant Granderson, have the land teams meet us in the mess at 2130."

"Aye, sir," Alisha responded, immediately heading for the door. She paused before Danny, mouthing something, but Danny's mind was too muddled to figure out what.

"Green, you coming?" Slattery snapped.

"Yes, sir." Danny fell in behind the XO, watching Alisha as she rounded the corner of the corridor, perplexed. Then it hit him. _Damn_. Alisha was going to tell Kara, of course. Kara and Alisha were best friends, even the events in Baltimore unable to shake their tight bond. And Kara would ask, as soon as she saw Alisha, hoping against all odds that it had been Caro or his mother, her experience finding her mother in Norfolk giving her more hope than he had of finding out good news. Uncertainly, he wondered how Kara would take the news that it had been Rebecca on the line. Danny had confirmed that it was an ex-girlfriend, so Alisha would be sure to share that fact, not wanting Kara to be caught off guard at a briefing. The only question was _how_ Alisha would spin the news as she passed it along. Both Alisha and Slattery had been surprised by Rebecca's emotional response to his hail. Hell, he'd been surprised. He never remembered Rebecca being so openly demonstrative about anything, usually exuding a cool façade of calm no matter how excited or anxious she was. But he understood. It had felt like a miracle. She was alive.

Somehow she had survived the most deadly plague that their planet had ever seen. And it gave him hope, no matter how slight, that she wasn't the only one. For the first time, he had real hope that others from his past might also have survived, might have endured, might still be out there waiting for the cure to arrive.

But had Alisha understood that? Or had she perceived it as a reunion of two old lovers? Considering the conversation from Alisha's perspective, he could see how it might have seemed a little …. unusual. Thankfully Kara had never been the jealous type. There had been that one incident with Bivas, but he had never really been sure how much of that was Kara teasing him. Maybe he could catch Kara before the meeting, once he and Slattery were done with the Capitan, try to gauge her reaction to the news. He might even be able talk to her before Alisha found her. Alisha wouldn't want to bother Kara while she was with Dr. Scott, would she? Plan in hand, Danny focused his full attention on the conversation with the Captain and XO.

By the time he was done briefing the Capitan, though, it was time for the tactical team meeting and there was no opportunity for a private conversation. Heading into the mess, he grabbed the empty chair behind Kara. Leaning forward he spoke quietly to the back of her head, "Did Alisha fill you in?"

Kara nodded, but didn't turn around. Danny could feel Tex and Cruz watching them, and he wondered what Alisha had said to the rest of the team.

"Yes." Her voice was husky. "I'm sorry that you didn't get news about your family. It doesn't mean anything, though. They could still be out there."

The XO and the Captain entered the mess just then, leaving him no time to ease into the conversation. He tripped over the words. "Are you upset about, well, that it was, you know, Rebecca?"

"Don't be silly, Danny." Turning her head slightly, Kara flashed him a teasing grin. "Don't your remember? We both agree. Jealousy is a useless emotion."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Kara gazed around the room as Rachel pulled out the doppler to check the baby's heartbeat, the steady chug-chug-chug reassuring even though the baby was moving almost constantly now. This helicopter bay had witnessed some of the best, and unquestionably some of the worst, moments of her life.

Kara could recall the beginning of the vaccination trial clearly. They had all been so confident at the start, scared of course (because how could one not be scared given the destruction they had seen the virus cause) but confident in Doctor Scott and positive that the next few days would be filled with nothing worse than the Master Chief's _eclectic_ taste in music and Tex's truly terrible attempts at flirting. Even after her seizure, Kara had believed that everything would end well, convinced not only by Doctors Scott and Rios, but also by Commander Garnett's reassurance. Maya's death, while terrifying, could be explained as a tragic accident. No, it was only when Danny appeared by her bedside that Kara had known that she was going to die. Not just because the Captain had allowed the visit (although that might have been enough given how angry he had been at both of them only the week prior), but because of the way Danny's voice had quivered as he spoke, the way his hand trembled in hers, and the tears that he had struggled not to shed before her. At that moment, she had known that it was the end and she would have given anything for one more moment alone with him, one more smile, one more chance to hold his hand without a hazmat suit, one more kiss. She had gone to sleep certain that this was the last time she would see his face. When she had woken up, it had been a shock to discover that she was still alive, that she might not die, that the cure might work. And following immediately on the realization that she was going to live, came the earth shattering news that she was pregnant. A pandemonium of emotions had washed through her. First shock. After all, they had been careful – most of the time. Then joy. Joy that, for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, something wonderful had happened. Then fear. Fear that she had harmed this little life before it had even begun. And finally guilt. Guilt that she hadn't known, that she hadn't been paying enough attention to realize the obvious. The guilt had never really left, as Kara continued to wonder whether the virus had harmed the baby in some way that she would learn only after the birth.

"120 over 72," Rachel announced, drawing Kara back to the present as Rachel put the blood pressure cuff away. "And the baby sounds as energetic as usual. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Kara began to give her usual answer but then stopped, seeing the measured look that Rachel was giving her. "I'm tired. And big. I can't see my toes anymore. And even the maternity shirts that I found in St. Louis are getting too small."

"You've managed this pregnancy extraordinarily well, Kara, but you should really start thinking about tapering down on your duties. The last month is the hardest," Rachel paused. "Not that I have personal experience, of course, but that's what I've been told."

"I'm still cleared for now, though, right?" Kara asked, slightly panicky. She wasn't ready for this. Nine months had seemed like such a long time – more than enough to spread the cure and head home to Norfolk to help with the ground efforts. But there was still so much to do. How could she leave now? She so badly wanted, no she _needed_ , to be there for Danny now that they were so close to his home.

Rachel leaned over to touch Kara's hand, a sympathetic look on her face. "I know you want to do as much as you can to help the crew, Kara, but you need to start focusing on becoming a mother. Given how slowly we are moving, there's already a chance that this baby will arrive before we get back to Norfolk. I don't want to do anything to put you into labor early."

"The Captain wouldn't be happy about that," Kara murmured, catching the quick smirk that crossed Rachel's face. Kara knew that she had Rachel to thank for convincing Captain Chandler to keep her on board upon their last departure from Norfolk.

 _"You wanted to see me, sir?" Kara asked as she stepped into Captain Chandler's office. Outside the remainder of the crew was bustling around, loading supplies for the ship's departure from Norfolk that evening._

 _"Please come in, Lieutenant. Close the door behind you. Sit." Kara did as requested, knowing the invitation did not bode well for her continued presence on this ship. "I assume that I can continue to refer to you as Lieutenant Foster?"_

 _"Of course, sir." Kara could imagine the confusion of having two Lieutenant Greens on board._

 _"Good. I wanted to talk to you about your physical condition. I've spoken to Doctor Scott, who assures me that you are fit for duty." From the way that Captain Chandler spoke, Kara suspected that there had been much more to that conversation than the Captain was letting on. Over time, there had been ever more signs the Captain and Doctor Scott had passed from colleagues to something more. Nothing overt, but sometimes the small things were more telling. "I'm not sure if you are aware, but my son was born early. At twenty-eight weeks. He spent the first few months in the hospital. It was touch and go there for a long time."_

 _"That must have been very difficult, sir." Kara responded after a moment. She hadn't been aware that Sam was a preemie. And only twenty-eight weeks. She was thirty weeks and nowhere near ready for this baby to arrive. "He seems very healthy now."_

 _"It was and he is, thankfully. We were fortunate to have access to some of the best healthcare in the world and a top-notched NICU. Healthcare not available on a destroyer." Kara met the Captain's gaze. He was explaining himself, she knew, explaining why he was going to put her on "administrative" duty in Norfolk, whatever that might mean now. So she was taken aback when the Captain continued, a slight twist of his lip._

 _"Of course, the hospital where Sam was born isn't operational anymore. And the few that are operational have devoted most of the staff to fighting the virus and distributing the cure. In fact, Doctor Scott has persuasively argued that you are likely to receive the best healthcare possible right here, from her."_

 _It took Kara a moment to recover. Was the Captain allowing her to stay on the ship after all? "I agree, sir. I – we – could not be in better hands."_

 _"It's settled then," Captain Chandler said firmly. "I anticipate that we will return to Norfolk in about six weeks, at which time you'll be released from your duties. Given the risk that you may be delivering on board, however, I have asked Doctor Scott to obtain any equipment that she might need, under the circumstances."_

 _"Thank you sir." Kara choked out, hoping that her voice had not betrayed her completely. She owed Rachel more than she could express for convincing the Captain to allow her to stay._

 _"One more thing Lieutenant," the Captain added as Kara began to rise._

 _"Yes, sir."_

 _"Military regulations support the unification of married couples on deployment when feasible. I think that there is a reasonable argument that our current situation constitutes a deployment. I've spoken to Tex and he's willing to relocate if you and Lieutenant Green would like to bunk together." The Captain paused and raised an eyebrow at her. "It is completely voluntarily, of course. I've been told that Green snores. Badly."_

Kara smiled at the memory. Danny did snore. Badly. And it had taken some time to get used to sleeping in the same room as Halsey. But the other benefits more than made up for those inconveniences.

Rachel winked at her. "Captain Chandler is much more bark than bite."

"I'm pretty sure that 188 of the 189 people on board this ship would disagree with you," Kara teased back.

Just then Alisha popped into the bay, surprising them both. Alisha and Rachel were not close, so her presence was unexpected. "Am I interrupting?"

"No, of course not, we are just finishing," Rachel responded. "What can I do for you Lieutenant Granderson?"

"We made contact with someone in New London, ma'am," Alisha responded, glancing meaningfully at Kara. "A woman named Rebecca Carlton, a microbiologist, I believe. The XO is requesting both of your presence in the mess at 2130 to go over the landing procedure tomorrow."

Kara felt her breath catch. Rebecca Carlton? Could that be Danny's Rebecca? She didn't remember ever hearing her last name.

"Of course." Rachel placed the bag with the prenatal equipment back on the cabinet. "I would love to speak to this Miss Carlton myself, if possible, to determine what we are facing here in New London."

Pulling herself together, Kara asked as calmly as she could, "Did she have any news of Danny's family?"

Alisha shook her head, giving Kara another telling look. "From what I gathered, they were in a different quarantine zone. She did seem to know all of them pretty well, though. She and Danny were talking a lot of names and she was sobbing over the radio. Kind of the way the XO's wife did when we made contact in the arctic. Danny said she was an ex-girlfriend."

Kara's heart sank. So it was _that_ Rebecca.

"Well, I imagine that Lieutenant Green has a few of those kicking around, given his age and appearance," Rachel commented dryly. "Actually, I would be far more surprised if you said that Lieutenant Green had never had a girlfriend. Miller on the other hand…"

Alisha laughed. "You're right, ma'am. I can't imagine any woman voluntarily going on more than one date with Miller."

Kara smiled, but couldn't quite manage a laugh. Somehow in a world filled with the dead and dying, they had managed to run into the last person in the world that she wanted to see right now. Kara avoided Rachel's concerned glance as she stood. "Should we be going?"

Kara twisted her ring as she trailed after Rachel and Alisha towards the mess. She knew that she was being irrational. Rachel was right, of course. It was impossible to imagine that a guy as attractive and assured as Danny wouldn't have an ex-girlfriend or two kicking around and, to be fair, she had her own share of ex-boyfriends. Danny had told her about Rebecca early on, back when they were still toeing the rule on fraternization, agreeing that nothing would happen until they returned to Norfolk (an agreement that had quickly been broken). Danny had wanted her to know that he wasn't playing a game, trying to sleep with every junior officer aboard the ship, and she had been glad that he wasn't the kind of guy to flit from girl to girl. From the beginning, she had known who he was – responsible, trustworthy, honorable – the kind of guy that you could marry (not that she had guessed how things would proceed during those early days back in the Arctic). Kara knew that Danny would never leave her and the baby to fend for themselves, that he would never break his wedding vows. _So why did Rebecca bother her so much?_

The question echoed through her head until it hit her. Rebecca was the last connection the Danny had to his family, to his home. Not just from ten years of dating, but from growing up in the same place, from being Caro's friend. Rebecca and Danny had known each other as toddlers (apparently they had, adorably, pretended to get married as preschoolers), they had played on the same soccer teams as children, gone to the same football games as teens, graduated from the same high school, visited each other at college and then through Danny's various duty assignments, they had known each other's friends, had attended the same weddings and funerals, and spent holidays together. Those shared memories of times vanished, of people lost, bound them together. Danny could, and had, told Kara stories of his home and family, but Rebecca had lived those stories. She knew those places and people. She remembered them. She filled a place in Danny's life, in Danny's memories, that Kara never could. And Kara hated that.

As awareness struck, Kara was horrified with herself. She knew how important it was for Danny to talk about his family and friends from Cornwall, to prepare himself for what he might find. Frankie's death had devastated him, but Kara had seen how much it helped him to trade stories about Frankie with Burk and Cruz, allowing him to focus on the happy moments that they had shared together. It had allowed him to heal a little. And if talking to Rebecca could help Danny through the tough moments in the days ahead, give him an opportunity to reminisce about the good times, maybe even find some closure (depending on what they found in Cornwall), how could she stand in the way? She couldn't. She could not take this opportunity to mourn a world that had been lost away from him. She would just have to pretend that the news about Rebecca didn't bother her. She could not let Danny know how she felt.

Kara had been settled in the mess for a few minutes when Danny arrived, just before the XO and the Captain. Snagging the seat behind her, she could feel his breath on the back of her neck as he leaned forward and spoke softly, for her ears only. "Did Alisha fill you in?"

"Yes." Kara didn't turn around, aware of the eyes on them. This was not the time for a private conversation. "I'm sorry that you didn't get news about your family. It doesn't mean anything, though. They could still be out there."

"Are you upset about, well, that it was, you know, Rebecca?"

Danny sounded so hesitant that she couldn't help but smile. It was the same voice he used when he knew that she was upset about something but he wasn't sure what to do or say. Like the time he had laughed at her as she struggled to hitch her belt buckle, or the time that Halsey had somehow gotten hold of her toothbrush (the one time that she had seriously considered moving back in with Alisha).

"Don't be silly, Danny." Turning her head slightly, Kara flashed him a teasing grin. "Don't your remember? We agreed. Jealousy is a useless emotion."


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

After twenty minutes spent confirming that there were, in fact, no chocolate chip cookies on board and Kara having settled for one of Bacon's pumpkin scones, Danny followed his wife down the pathway towards their cabin, uncertain of her mood. She didn't seem upset, exactly, just quiet. Still, he wasn't insensible enough to believe that Kara was really as calm as she was acting about the unexpected reappearance of his ex-girlfriend. He wished he could have seen her face earlier when he asked her about Rebecca. Talking to her back in a mess full of sailors didn't make for the most informative conversation.

Swinging the door shut behind him, he watched Kara pull off her jacket and begin to unpin her hair. Once her regular uniforms had been stretched to their limit, she had taken to wearing her pants hitched with an elastic band below her belly, together with several long navy blue maternity shirts that she had found at a store near St. Louis. The cameo jacket was a more recent find, from Norfolk. It was a size extra-large, designed for a man much taller than Kara, but she had hemmed the bottom and tucked the sleeves well enough to pass inspection. It had surprised him to learn that she could sew. Apparently it was a skill – along with shooting cans off posts – that was mandatory when growing up in Pollard, Kansas.

"You doing okay?" Danny asked, glancing at her tentatively as he unlaced his boots. "How was the checkup with Doctor Scott?"

"Just tired." Kara responded, continuing to unbraid her hair. He loved watching her take down her hair at night, the strands pooling on her shoulders. She looked so different – softer somehow – more vulnerable. "Baby sounds perfect. Doctor Scott wants me to start transitioning my duties. She doesn't think Captain Chandler will be impressed if I go into labor in CIC."

"No, I imagine not. Although the XO would probably make you finish your shift before sending you to medical." Danny replied playfully. Then more seriously, treading carefully, he asked, "Did she take you off ground duty?"

"Not yet," Kara finishing brushing out her hair and pulled on her pajamas – some of his running gear that she had commandeered. "Once we leave New London, I'll speak with Captain Chandler. Kirkland's doing well in CIC. He's ready. No replacement for my spot on the ground team, unfortunately, so you'll just be down another hand."

"Hey," Danny responded, stepping closer and catching her chin. "You've stayed with the ship as long as you could. There's nothing more you can do. Listen to Doctor Scott."

"I knew that it was coming, but I thought that we would have gotten further by now. I hate to leave things half finished. And the timing sucks." Kara stared at him, tears suddenly appearing in her eyes as her hands rose to frame his face. "I'm sorry that you didn't get news about your family today, Danny. I was so hopeful when I heard about the radio call… But they could still be out there. With the quarantines limiting movement and communication down, they may not know we're here. They could still be okay."

Danny brushed the tears off her cheek with his thumb. "I know. Nothing has really changed. Still the same odds as before."

He lowered his head to give her a gentle kiss, so tempted to deepen it, to lose himself in Kara for at least a little while, putting aside all of the fear and apprehension. But Kara was exhausted. He could see the rings under her eyes, the weariness reflected in them. He stared down at her, beyond thankful that somehow in the middle of this apocalypse that they had found each other.

"Bedtime, sleepyhead," he teased as Kara tried, and failed, to cover up a yawn. She tilted her head to the side, still looking up at him.

"Lie down with me for a few?"

Nodding his assent, he flipped off the lights, waiting for Kara to get into the bunk before curling up to her back, tucking his arm just above her stomach. The bunks were far too narrow to actually sleep this way, especially as the baby demanded more and more room, but they could steal a few moments together before Danny moved to the top bunk.

Within moments of lying down, Kara's breathing slowed as she moved into sleep. Lying there, listening to the hum of the ship and her slow, rhythmic breathing, Danny's mind wandered back to the shocking events of the evening. Hearing Rebecca's voice had been surreal. For a second, standing there in the radio room, he had thought that he was imagining it. Despite the bad connection and how long it had been since they had spoken, he had known her voice instantly. He was astonished not only that she had survived, but that they were actually speaking, that she had heard the Nathan James' call and realized that he was on board.

When was the last time that he had seen Rebecca? Danny pushed aside the image of how she had looked on that last day, the day he had broken things off, the memory still uncomfortable. But before that…. Gradually an image formed. It had been right after Rebecca took the job at Children's Hospital. The hospital had created a new unit specializing in childhood cancer and had a number of openings working with some of the most esteemed professionals in the field. Rebecca had been desperate to land a position there, not only because it was her dream job, but also because it had been ideally located only thirty minutes from Cornwall. She had been ecstatic when she was hired, and Danny had gone up to Connecticut to join her for a welcome dinner. Between his mother, Caro and Rebecca, Danny had attended many of this type of event, and was expecting an uneventful, likely even boring, evening listening to Rebecca and her new colleagues conversing about groundbreaking research that was well outside his range of interest or understanding. The dinner had not gone as expected, however. Several times he was asked when his enlistment was up, the unspoken assumption that he and Rebecca would settle down together in Hartford once he left the navy. One of the doctors had gone so far as to give Danny his card, telling him that he knew of a number of job options for a military man of his credentials transitioning to civilian life. That dinner had been eye-opening. For years, with Rebecca busy with graduate school and internships, her life no more settled than his, it had been easy for him to ignore the divergent paths that their lives had taken. That night, for the first time he had grasped how incompatible the life that he had created for himself was with the life that Rebecca dreamed of – a life not different than the one that Danny had experienced growing up – returning to the town where she was born, marrying her childhood sweetheart, watching her children frolic in the same woods where she had once played as a child. It was a far cry from the reality of a military wife, and had been the beginning of the end for him and Rebecca.

His mind still reeling, Danny wondered how much Rebecca had changed in the almost two years that had passed since that dinner in Connecticut. Would she have moved on, found someone else? He assumed yes. Rebecca was beautiful – stunning pale skin, blue eyes flecked with gold, blond locks that fell in curls down her back. Danny wondered what it would be like to see her with another man, trying to envision it in his head, but the image wouldn't form, the idea almost unfathomable. Rebecca had always been surrounded by friends, both men and woman. When he had been overseas Rebecca had often recruited male friends to escort her to events, and Danny had never minded, his trust in Rebecca complete. Would it be different now that she was free to be with someone else?

Realizing where his train of thought had taken him, Danny was appalled. Was he really lying here next to his wife – _his pregnant wife_ – thinking about another woman? That had to be some kind of violation of his wedding vows. And it if wasn't, it should as hell be. Forcing away thoughts of Rebecca, Danny focused his mind on he and Kara's wedding, a day that had been both heartbreaking and incredible. That morning, hanging out with the guys and Tex, all he could think about was how Frankie should have been there to sneak him a beer (Burk was far too straight-laced to defy the Master Chief's stern warning that everyone was expected to be dead sober at the ceremony). His father should have been there to help him put on his jacket and make sure that his shoes shone. His mother should have been at the door, alternatively shouting out orders to the wedding staff (because his mother could never let anything be) and wiping away tears at the idea that her firstborn was getting married. He had imagined Chris, wearing his first tuxedo, his awkwardness evident as he attempted to fit in with the older guys. And Caro. Well, Caro would have been her usual sarcastic self, amusing him with random comments and pieces of gossip in-between tormenting Frankie and Cruz for long forgotten slights. That morning, as he waited for Kara, he had realized – again – all that the virus had stolen from him and the weight of that loss had been almost paralyzing. Then he had seen Kara, finally, as she arrived with her mother. She had been radiant, unshed tears sparkling in her eyes, her hair loose and falling down her back, wearing some sort of dress that flowed around her effortlessly as she walked. And he had been flooded with a feeling of gratitude. Gratitude that they had found each other. Gratitude that she had survived the virus trial. Gratitude for their miracle baby. Gratitude for the people around them, supporting them, making this day special. The sorrow hadn't disappeared, but its edge had been dulled. He would never forget those that he had lost or might have lost. But that was the past, and standing before him was the family – the future – that he had been blessed with and he would not do anything to put that at risk.

Needing to find some way to stop the buzzing of his brain, Danny eased off the bunk, careful not to wake Kara. Her sleep had been interrupted more and more as the pregnancy progressed, between the uncomfortable bunk and the need to use the bathroom every few hours. The XO had laughingly told him that it was practice for once the baby arrived and refused to sleep for more than fifteen minutes at a time, said with a glint in his eyes suggesting that he was not kidding. As quietly as possible, Danny grabbed his shoes, slipping through the door and heading for the gym. If he couldn't quiet his mind, he would exhaust himself enough to fall into a mindless sleep for a few hours before it was time to head to shore.

"And look what the cat dragged in," Tex drawled as Danny walked into the gym. "Kara kick you out? Heaven knows how she deals with the snoring."

Danny rolled his eyes at the older man. After bunking together for months Danny had grown used to Tex's terrible jokes. Sometimes they were even funny. "Kara's sleeping. At least she is for the next hour or so, until she needs to use the head. Or she wants another scone."

Tex laughed. "Ah, the good old days. Reminds me all of the reasons that it is good to be an old man. Although having a teenager is no walk in the park."

Danny didn't comment on that. A newborn was scary enough. He didn't want to think about having a teenager yet. Although Kat appeared to be a fairly well-grounded girl. She was currently aboard the Nathan James, she and Ray serving as apprentices. The Captain had suggested the program as a way of training new personnel, and it had also, handily, allowed Tex to keep his daughter close and alleviated the risk that Tex would leave the ship. Tex went back to the treadmill as Danny headed towards the punching bag.

"So I heard a rumor this evening," Tex said several minutes later, breaking the silence. "It's about you. Want to hear it?"

Danny focused on controlling his breathing as he socked the bag again. "Does it matter if I say no?"

Tex barked a laugh. "You know me – no good at keeping a secret." The two men exchanged a glance. "I heard a rumor that there was a woman crying over you and her initials were _not_ KFG."

"Alisha tell you that, did she?" Danny responded dryly. Not that he was surprised. Nothing stayed a secret for very long on the Nathan James, as Danny was well aware from past indiscretions. Besides, he had seen the inquisitive glances in the briefing when the XO had relayed the information they had received from Danny's "friend."

"Cruz, actually. Claims that it's an ex-girlfriend of yours. Pretty too, he said." Tex paused. "Surprised me, actually. Never saw you going for a scientist type."

"It's none of your business, you know," Danny retorted, knowing that it wouldn't make a bit of difference.

"Never is," Tex retorted with a grin. "But a man has to hope. So far I'm batting a zero on the Nathan James, maybe this is the woman for me..."

Danny couldn't help but laugh. Tex did have a way of lightening the mood. "Go forth and conquer my friend." Danny moved on to the weights. "I went to high school with Rebecca. We dated for a few years and moved on. It's ancient history."

"That's what I figured," Tex responded, giving Danny a wink as he grabbed his towel and heading for the door. "Now Miller owes me $20 bucks."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Danny was startled awake by his alarm at 0530. Quickly silencing the noise, he rolled to his side, the confusion and uncertainty brought on by the events of the preceding day flooding his brain. _New London – the radio call – Caro at the hospital? – his dad in Cornwall – Chris and his mother up north – Rebecca alive_. Ruthlessly he pushed the pandemonium aside, to be dealt with later, once the mission to New London was complete. He had let his emotions jeopardize the mission once, in Gitmo, and he would not let that happen again.

Swiftly dressing and gathering his gear, Danny paused a moment at the open locker before sliding on his wedding ring. He had never before worn it in the field, too aware of soldiers who had lost fingers when their rings became caught. Today, though, he did not want there to be any doubt of where his loyalties lay – to Kara, to the Nathan James, to this crew, to his team, and to their mission. He would not allow the ghosts of the past to threaten all that he – all that they – had built in the last year.

Kara rustled in her bunk, sleepily propping her head up on her arm. "You heading out?"

Danny nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bunk to lean over and drop a kiss on her head, resting his head on her belly for just a moment.

Kara touched his cheek gently. "Be safe out there, okay?"

"I'll see you by lunch." He replied, flashing her his trademark smile before standing and whistling for Halsey. Closing the door to the cabin behind him, Danny noticed Miller duck into a side passage. Suspicious, Danny headed in the direction of the armory, which also happened to be the direction that Miller had gone. There was no good reason for Miller to be passing through officer territory on the way from his bunk to the armory. Casually walking towards the pathway where he'd seen Miller duck, Danny turned abruptly, pinning the younger man with his eyes.

"Miller. Fancy meeting you here." Danny watched as the color rolled across Miller's face. "Seems like a rather roundabout way to get to the armory."

"Yes sir, I mean, no sir, I mean, I wondered if you needed any help sir." Danny's eyebrows rose at Miller's rambling excuses, suspicion growing into certainty as he recalled Tex's comment from the night before.

"Sure. You can be my pack mule." Danny replied, shoving his vest towards Miller before turning to stride down the pathway.

In a matter of minutes Danny, and a trailing Miller, reached their destination. Tex, Cruz, Burk and Wolf were already there, Dennis and Rowler not yet in sight. Grabbing Miller's jacket by the neck, Danny halted the now clearly panicking Miller. "I understand that you owe Tex twenty bucks. You owe anyone else money?"

Tex snorted in their direction. "Told you that you'd get caught, Miller."

Danny scanned the remainder of the room, ignoring Burk since he couldn't imagine the Lieutenant encouraging Miller to do something so patently stupid as spy on an officer.

"Owes me forty," Cruz admitted. "Told Miller that nothing rattles Mrs. G. That woman is a cool operator."

Danny turned to the final member of the team, Wolf, who threw up his hands. "Don't look at me. I never engage in bets about people who might shoot me. Besides, winning a bet with Miller is kind of like taking candy from a baby."

"Better get moving, Miller. I understand that Commander Garnett has a number of boxes that need to be transferred to shore today. I'm sure that she'll appreciate your help." Danny cuffed Miller on the back of the head as he headed towards Burk to gather his gear, smiling in satisfaction as he heard Miller groan. Served him right. Danny was surprised when Cruz stepped in his path.

"Rebecca have any news about Caroline?" Cruz's voice was steady, but he didn't quite meet Danny's eyes. Cruz had been struggling since New Orleans, the discovery of his family's death shaking him deeply. Always the quiet observer, recently Cruz had seemed more and more removed from those around him and Danny had begun to wonder if he was experiencing some form of PTSD. Once this part of the mission was done and they were headed back towards Norfolk, Danny resolved to talk to the Captain about it.

"Nothing recent. Not since communications went down." Danny paused. "You sure you want on the advance team this week? You know that Caro will rip you a new one over something within five minutes of seeing you. Never pays to piss off a Green."

A reluctant chuckle escaped Cruz and his eyes met Danny's, amusement flashing. "You think that's funny? Just imagine what she has waiting for you after a year and a half. Chances are she won't even notice me she'll be so busy laying into you."

Danny just smiled. He would take a scolding from Caro every day for the rest of his life if the tradeoff was seeing her again.

It was another two hours before they were finally in the rhib, headed towards the harbor, their landing routine almost automated after having made port in so many cities. After securing the dock and greeting any parties that had made prior contact, the advance team (Green, Burk, Tex, Cruz, Wolfe and Miller) would locate a command area close to the harbor or in a building near a hospital or safe zone. After clearing the chosen building and establishing security, the second group would arrive, consisting of the search teams that would spread through the city to locate and assist survivors, as well as either the XO or the Captain. Recently it had been the XO joining them more often than not, as the Captain focused more on the efforts to locate additional soldiers and sailors and expand the fleet. Last month the Captain had been successful in relaunching the USS Kidd out of San Diego, with the goal of spreading the cure along the western states up to Alaska, and eventually crossing the Pacific. Danny expected that Wolf would soon be requesting a transfer to the Kidd, the first step towards returning home to Australia. It would be hard to see him leave, the Aussie having become a vital member of the team.

Once the ground operation was in swing, Doctors Scott, Rios, and Milowky, as well as Bertrise would arrive to provide medical assistance as required. Kara would be with the final group to come to shore, joining Commander Garnett and her team, who were in charge of establishing communications and power at the temporary command center as the majority of operations moved from the ship to the shore. Kara's ground role had become twofold, coordinating the movements of the ground teams with the assistance of Alisha and Val, and providing a helping hand to Doctor Scott as needed. By the end of the day, the Nathan James would hold only a skeleton crew, under the command of the Master Chief, as even the kitchen staff was moved to the new command center.

"Movement on the dock." Burk tapped his microphone as he spoke, advising the Nathan James of the change in condition, and motioning to Dennis to slow the rhib.

Danny checked his watch – 0730. The meeting was scheduled for 0800, but Rebecca might be early. Or it could be someone else entirely. Grabbing the binoculars, Danny scanned the individuals that he could now clearly see clustered around several vehicles at the harbor. Rebecca's profile swam into focus. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she was wearing jeans and a long sleeved black shirt, talking in an animated fashion to the man next to her. She was too far away to see her face, but there was no doubt that it was her. Passing the binoculars to Cruz, he spoke. "Friendly confirmed."

"Do we have a second confirmation?" Kara's composed voice sounded in his ear.

"Friendly confirmed," Cruz responded.

Burk spoke as Dennis powered the rhib back up. "Cobra to Mother, one minute to objective."

As they approached the dock, the waiting group disbursed, heading in their direction. There were six of them, including Rebecca, all dressed casually in jeans and shirts, with gas masks hanging around their necks. Everything looked slightly grimy, as though it had been some time since anything had been washed. Rebecca was standing next to the man that she had been talking with earlier, his hand on her shoulder as though he was holding her in place. None of them appeared to be armed with more than a pistol. Swinging onto the walkway, Danny kept his weapon lowered and his hands in plain view so as not to spook the group before him. Behind him he could hear Burk, Wolfe and Cruz clambering from the rhib, the others remaining behind for now in case they needed to make an unexpectedly rapid departure. As they had learned from painful experience, this was the moment when things were most likely to go wrong.

"I'm Lieutenant Green from the Nathan James. With me are Lieutenants Burk and Foster, and Petty Officer Cruz. I spoke with Rebecca Carlton this morning to arrange this meeting. We are here to provide you with the cure to the red flu." He spoke firmly, calmly, as he moved forward. Scanning the group before him, he would guess that the man next to Rebecca was security of some sort. The remainder of the group looked older, more scholarly, and he pegged them as doctors or scientists.

"Danny!" Rebecca abruptly launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Automatically, he returned the embrace, giving her a bear squeeze like he had a hundred times before. It was the slight shift of her arms that brought him back to the present, as her hands moved towards his head as though to pull him in for a kiss. Grabbing her arms gently, he stepped back, releasing her hands as soon there was sufficient space between their bodies. Rebecca teetered at the sudden lack of support, but then she caught herself, the surprise and confusion he glimpsed in her eyes disappearing almost instantly as she regained her usual poise. Looking past him, her face brightened again. "And Teylor!"

Perhaps less surprised, Cruz managed to ward Rebecca off with a pat on the back. "It's good to see you, ma'am."

"I see Halsey but where's Frankie?" Rebecca asked, scanning the remainder of the men surrounding her. Danny felt a familiar ache at the sound of his friend's name.

"Halsey, come." Danny commanded, waiting for the dog to reach his shoes before speaking. "We lost Frankie a couple months back. Along with Berchem and Smith."

"Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry." He could see the glimmer of tears in her eyes and her hand came up, as though to touch him. Sidestepping her, he approached the waiting men. "Introduce us, please."

Rebecca paused, as though she was about to say something, but then she nodded and led them to the group standing by the trucks. "Gentleman, this is Doctor Stevenson, Dr. Taka, Officer Stephen Rickman with the New London police department, Doctor…"

Danny, who had been shaking hands as he walked down the line, suddenly recognized the next person in line. "Doctor Morrison, it's an honor to see you here."

The older man looked surprised, then slightly embarrassed. "Have we met?"

"You wouldn't remember me, sir." Danny grinned at him, trying to put the man at ease. "I attended your lecture series on psychiatry in children a few years ago with my sister."

"Ah, a man of my interests, I see," the doctor replied, giving Danny a warm smile.

Tex snorted. "Or he lost a bet."

Danny shot Tex a look as Rebecca finished the introductions. Tex was wrong, actually, Danny had attended the lectures with Caro voluntarily. Of course, in exchange Caro had agreed to do all of his Christmas shopping that year (Rebecca had been thrilled with whatever designer purse Caro had bought, one that had been shockingly expensive). Danny had never really understood why Caro asked him to attend such events with her. She knew that the lectures bored him to death and that he spent the vast majority of his time playing on his phone, trying not to fall asleep. Although he had always enjoyed the time after the lecture, once Caro was done asking a hundred questions. They would find some hole in the wall restaurant or bar and stay until closing time, ordering plate after plate of cheap greasy food and frosty glasses of beer. He had valued those evenings with just the two of them, so rare as they both became busier with their own lives.

After confirming the location of the hospital where Rebecca and the doctors had been working, Danny hit his microphone. "Cobra to Mother. Dock is secured. We've been advised that there are several empty hotels in immediate proximity to the hospital. Suggest establishing one as the command post."

"Roger that, Cobra. Coms check every fifteen minutes."

Danny was pulling open the door to the first vehicle when Tex pushed by, slapping him on the back. "Looks like the wedding ring was a little bit too subtle for blondie there. Good thing the XO wasn't here for that little demonstration.."

Danny ground his teeth. One of the more annoying things about Tex was his tendency to be right. But this was not the time.

Swinging himself into the Jeep next to Doctor Morrison, Danny asked, "How many patients are you currently caring for?"

"We have about two hundred patients in various stages, right now. People have been arriving more frequently in the past month. Many of them heard rumors that we had the cure. You want to save them all, but we had to prioritize." The man's voice broke. _Prioritize._ For the briefest moment, Danny could hear Granderson's voice as she explained her priorities – _the brightest, the most educated, the most useful to Amy Granderson's vision of the future_. But the doctor was not done. "First the children, of course. And then the people that had only been recently exposed, who were the most likely to survive. The hardest part has been deciding where to draw the line beyond which we couldn't potentially waste the dose. Those too sick or too elderly."

 _Triage_. They had been sorting and prioritizing the lives to save. As every doctor was taught to do in a mass trauma situation – he recalled his mother attending lectures and participating in emergency drills – but a situation that seemed so incomprehensible when talking about civilians, about children. If his mother or Caro were still alive, had they also been forced to make such haunting decisions?

"After we make the decision, we separated them, the dying from those recovering. For some of them, the guilt is too great and they have chosen not to accept the shot."

Danny recalled how sick Kara had been when he first saw her. Her face had been deathly white, the sores on her face and arm oozing, each breath labored. What would have happened if they had been here? She had been so sick – would she have been given a black band – tagged as beyond help? And if she had, would he have been willing to take the cure, to save himself, knowing that she was going to die?

"After we made contact last night, we used the last of the doses that we had available for some of the sicker patients, the ones that might not survive until morning otherwise. We still lost two. Without power, there is only so much we can do to keep them alive once their bodies begin shutting down. At least we still have morphine."

Another problem that they had not faced on the Nathan James. Even when Kara and the others had been at their sickest, there had been no shortage of equipment, medicine, or personnel focused on, above all, saving their lives. Danny put his hand down on the CDC case that he had retrieved from the rhib before they left. "Once we establish a command center, we'll begin inoculating people. And we've made a few improvements since the doses that you received that I can explain later."

It was another hour before they finishing securing the hotel that he and Burk had selected for the command post. Once complete, the team returned to the lobby where, as requested, all available personnel from the hospital were waiting. He noticed that the crowd had grown to about forty people, most of them wearing gas masks around their necks, a habit that must have become so ingrained as to be forgotten.

Clearly his throat to grab their attention, Danny jumped up on a chair as Wolf began unloading vials from their container.

"Doctor Scott and her team will be here shortly to answer any questions. In the meantime, we've made a few improvements to the cure. The new version of the cure is contagious, like a common cold." He heard the gasping and murmuring throughout the room. The disbelief. The immediate understanding of the potential that such an advancement had for the spread of the cure. "And before you ask, no, I don't know how it works. That is far above my paygrade."

Despite the serious nature of the conversation, that drew a few laughs. "The contagious cure takes about an hour to kick in. Once the remainder of the Nathan James crew arrives, we will work with you in teams to spread the cure around the city and into the local countryside. You are contagious for only five to eight days, and spreading it requires some sort of physical contact like a handshake or a hug, so it is imperative that you come into contact with as many people as possible during that time period."

Gesturing to Tex, at his left, he continued. "We have with us two different shots today. Number one is a booster for those that already received the cure. The booster is designed to make you a contagious carrier."

"Anyone ready to be stabbed head right this way," Tex joked.

"And for those that have not been previously inoculated, we have a new and improved vaccine that combines the original formula and the contagious cure. Anyone needing the full dose should see the Aussie over to the right." Danny gestured to his right where Wolf waited.

For a moment the room was still, then all but two of the people standing in front of him lined up before Wolf. Abruptly Danny realized that the gas masks weren't from forgotten habit or haunting fear. These people hadn't taken the vaccine when it arrived despite the risk that they faced every day working with the sick and the dying. They truly had prioritized every dose, at the risk of becoming infected themselves. As Tex made his way over to help Wolf, Danny's chest swelled with appreciation for all that these people had done. In the past year, he had seen the best, and the worst, of humanity. But it was moments like this, moments when he saw people working together, helping each other, coming together to survive, that gave him faith that, in the end, good would prevail. And today was especially poignant. This was his home state, Rebecca was his friend, he was the one that he led them here, to this group of people.

Today, New London had done him proud.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Kara took a moment to relish the breeze as she stepped out on the deck. She was enjoying the cool New England weather, especially after a summer spent sweltering in the south.

"Hi Ka…I mean Lieutenant Foster." Kara couldn't help but smile at Kat's earnest expression as she resumed her watch position. The teenager was taking her new responsibilities on the boat very seriously. Kat seemed to have a knack for fixing things and, in a couple of years, Kara could see the girl joining the engineering team. For now, though, she was shadowing various crew members to get an idea of what each job entailed. Currently she was on a watch rotation. Not the most exciting job, but at least the weather was nice and she was above-deck.

"Wasn't sure that I would see you today," Andrea Garnett remarked as Kara approached the viewpoint from which the Commander was overseeing the movement of crates packed with equipment from the Nathan James to several waiting trucks. Now that the advance team had secured a command post, it was time to move remaining operations from the ship to the shore. The XO had left with Doctor Scott and her team over an hour ago, turning the ship over to the Master Chief while the Captain dealt with presidential business. Before leaving CIC, Kara had confirmed that the XO was at the newly established command center, at which point the job of coordinating the land teams was shifted from the ship to the shore. The Nathan James had made port briefly to allow for the efficient deployment of personnel and equipment, as well as to refuel (although the Commander had been less than impressed with the quality of the fuel available, which was intended for a ferry rather than a naval destroyer), but would put back out to sea as soon as these last boxes were unloaded. Since Baltimore, the Nathan James had adopted a policy of docking for the least amount of time possible, and allowing visitors on board only in the most unique circumstances.

"This will probably be the last time," Kara admitted. "Time to start transitioning my duties."

Andrea smiled at her. "You've stayed out to sea longer than any other pregnant sailor in the history of the US Navy. Quite the accomplishment, if you ask me. I was riding a desk at nine weeks."

"There's still so much to do," Kara sighed. "This little one didn't exactly pick the best time to arrive."

Andrea barked out a laugh. "Babies never do. Bill and I were married for more than ten years before we had Lily. I remember the day that we decided it was time for a child. We had been married for a couple of years, and I was turning thirty. We had it all planned out. And then nothing happened. I figured that maybe it wasn't meant to be. I had just re-upped again and bam, after eight years of nothing, I got pregnant." Andrea paused and Kara reached out to squeeze the Commander's hand, knowing how much the woman missed her daughter. "My little miracle, I used to call her."

"It just feels so final," Kara admitted. "The idea of going home to Norfolk and watching the Nathan James head back out to sea without me. I know that's the life of a navy wife, but I never really thought about what it would be like, being the one staying home, I mean. Danny might not be back for months after the baby is born." _Or at all_ , Kara added silently, unable to say the words out loud, as though doing so would somehow turn them into fact. "I keep wondering what I am going to do at Norfolk with a baby. I've never even babysat."

"Your mom will be there, won't she?" Andrea responded.

Kara gazed over the dock as she collected her thoughts. She loved her mother, of course, but the woman was not exactly reliable. The accident that took Kara's father's life before she was born had shattered Debbie Foster, and pushed her into a twenty-five year spiral of depression and alcoholism. As a young child, Kara had been fortunate enough to have her grandfather around to make sure that the cabinets were full, the bills were paid, and that Kara had shoes that fit. Some of her best memories were of the days that her papa would wake her up at the crack of dawn to take her hunting or fishing, not realizing until she was older that he had done so in an effort to shield her from the worst of her mother's excesses. Debbie had turned over a new leaf in Norfolk with the help of Peter's stabilizing presence, but Kara could not help but remain somewhat skeptical of the abrupt change, and fearful that it was only a matter of time before her mother relapsed, leaving Kara to take care of them all.

"She will," Kara acknowledged. "But she has a lot of responsibilities as a newly elected member of the Norfolk city council. She and Peter have been working to spread the cure to the folks in the rural areas of Virginia and North Carolina. Last time I spoke with her, she was figuring out the best way to reach Kentucky."

"You'll figure it out, Kara. You're a strong woman. And things won't always be like this. Most of us have been aboard the Nathan James for almost a year straight and people are burned out." Andrea shook her head. "The Captain knows it. That's why he's been working so hard trying to find replacement personnel. With the Kidd staffed, he's hoping to find enough crew to man the Haule. With two ships on the Atlantic, you and Danny might be able to rotate deployments, taking turns staying in Norfolk with the baby."

Kara considered that idea for a moment. Truthfully, she had never thought that far into the future, to a world where the Nathan James was not the totality of the United States Navy. The idea of returning to a ship, doing the job that she was trained to do and to do well, even at some unknown future date, was alluring. But could she leave a baby – a child – behind for months at a time? Could she and Danny survive back-to-back deployments, rarely seeking each other for more than a few days at a time? Would Danny even be willing to stay home, alone, with a child?

"How did you manage it?" Kara finally responded. "You and Bill?"

Andrea gave her a considering look. "It wasn't easy, of course. The first time I shipped out after Lily was born, I cried myself to sleep for a week. But I had a career that I loved – one that I was, that I am, good at. I wanted my daughter to see that. I wanted to be a role model for her. For me, the best way for me to do that was to stay in the navy. I was lucky too. Bill was only a few years out from retirement, so we didn't have to juggle for that long. It's not something you need to decide now, Kara, but think about it. If, at any point, you want to come back, there will always be a place for you here."

"Thank you," Kara whispered, feeling teary. It helped a little knowing that the Commander understood how displaced she was feeling, how vulnerable. Andrea smiled, squeezing Kara's hand for a moment before turning her attention back to the job before her.

Loading the pallets took longer than anticipated, and it was almost 1400 before they arrived at the new command site.

Kara was surprised when Miller appeared by the truck. "Let me help you with those, ma'am." Gathering the laptop that she had brought with her, she wondered what Miller had done to get himself assigned to Commander Garnett's detail. Miller seemed to be perpetually in trouble with either Danny, Carlton or the XO.

"Lieutenant Foster." Kara heard the XO's gravelly voice the moment she entered the room. He was standing before a table filled with maps, Danny, Alisha, and Carlton with him, as well as a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair who looked to be in his mid-forties and a younger blond woman. Presumably these were their location liaisons. "At last. It took you so long to arrive that I thought you must have decided to walk."

"Sorry, sir." Kara replied. "We had some difficulties with the pallets. Commander Garnett should have the power on within the hour."

"Lieutenant Foster, please meet Officer Rickman with the Connecticut National Guard and Rebecca Carlton who, as you know, has been our primary point of contact here in New London," Slattery explained.

"Officer Rickman, Miss Carlton." Kara nodded, hoping that the XO hadn't noticed the slight hesitation before she responded. _Damn_. This was awkward. It hadn't occurred to her that she might have to work _with_ Rebecca.

"And your role is …." Officer Rickman's voice faded out. Kara barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. He was clearly one of _those_ men, the ones that thought that a woman, especially a pregnant woman, had no business in the military. Kara felt, more than saw, Danny's posture change almost unperceptively.

"I'm the tactical action officer on the Nathan James. I'll coordinate any air or other support that you require. We are here to assist you, sir." Kara spoke as neutrally as possible but she knew a little bit of sarcasm must have crept in when Alisha started to cough, likely covering up a snort.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Foster," Rebecca replied quickly, extending her hand without hesitation. Rickman winced and Kara wondered if the other woman had just kicked him under the table. Kara shook the hand extended to her firmly. Well that answered her first question. Either this woman was the best actress in the world or, more likely, she had no idea who Kara was.

Noting the various maps before them, Kara spoke. "Have you settled on inland locations yet?"

The goal at each port was to arrange for the newly contagious civilians, supported by accompanying navy personnel, to visit as many locations inland as possible, creating a daisy-chain spreading the cure as widely as possible.

"I still think Hartford and Providence are our best options, moving on to Worcester and Springfield the next day, then circling back via Albany. We can hit the remainder of New England once we reach Boston." Danny moved forward, tracing the map as he spoke.

"We should be able to reach Hartford," Rickman replied. "Moving across state lines may be harder. Massachusetts had deployed the National Guard around the state borders. We can try to reach the militia, but without centralized communication, hard to know how they would react to anyone approaching."

"Anything from the UAV?" Slattery asked Kara.

Kara drew out the laptop and powered it up, sitting to allow the others to see over her back. Until the power was on and Alisha could hook up the larger screen, they would all have to squint a little. "I have the newest satellite images here, as well as the imagines the UAV sent back from the pass over Rhode Island. No apparent obstacles between here and Providence. The city actually appears to be in good shape, minimal destruction indicating no major fighting or rioting." Kara flipped through the images as she spoke. "Looks like a straight shot up the 95 for a ground visit or a short hop for a helo drop. UAV picked up some movement on the ground that appears to be small groups of survivors. No indication of numbers yet and no answer to our radio hails."

"And Hartford?" Slattery asked.

Kara switched the screen. "UAV should be doing another pass as we speak, but the satellite images from earlier today confirmed what we saw yesterday. There was definitely bombing there, mostly centered around the airport, and signs of a massive evacuation."

"The 91 is pretty clogged," Danny spoke, leaning over Kara's shoulder to flip to another screen. "There are a couple of other options – the 395 to the 9 or the 6 – but those roads are small and not a lot of room to turn around if we hit a blockage. Tough to back out a convoy."

"Do you have any idea where the safe zones were established, Miss Carlton?" Kara asked, glancing up at Rebecca. She was surprised to see Rebecca's eyes focused downward, and Kara suddenly became aware that Danny had placed his hand on her shoulder when he leaned over to switch the screens, most likely unconsciously.

"There was a minor league stadium that was being set up, as well as alternatives at a couple of the larger local high schools," Rebecca responded, her voice wavering. "Why would there be bombing?"

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Kara felt sympathetic towards the woman. Over the past few months, she had seen far too many cities ravaged both by the virus and by their human inhabitants. She had learned to distance herself from these images, looking at them from a tactical perspective, and not considering the tragedy behind the pictures. New London, while ravaged by the virus, appeared to have escaped any other unrest. Apparently this was Rebecca's first indication that other places had not been so lucky.

"Airports, especially international airports, were hot zones," Danny responded as Kara moved through the images, looking for the stadium. "The remainder of the city looks intact, although that kind of evacuation suggests there was a panic. Either there was a major outbreak of the virus or it could have been in response to the bombing. Hard to know how many survivors might be left."

"The stadium is still intact," Kara said after a few moments. "Could be a good location for a helo drop if the convey won't be able to get there."

"Do you have images of western Connecticut?" Rebecca spoke again, her voice strained. Kara felt Danny's hand tighten on her shoulder. "I'm from Cornwell, like Danny."

"Cornwall has too much tree coverage to locate individual homes, but I do have these." Pulling up the image of a field, Kara continued, "Lieutenant Green said this used to be a strawberry farm, but this is clearly corn."

"How can you tell?" Rickman asked, sounding slightly skeptical. "It just looks like a field to me. Could be overgrown."

"She's from Kanas," Burk responded, speaking for the first time. "They have a LOT of corn in Kansas."

Kara couldn't help but smile. "You can tell that this is planted because it's in rows – you can see the pattern – and the height is too uniform to be overgrowth. Also, if you compare the images between yesterday and today, you can see that there is movement in the field indicating harvesting. Someone is there growing food. That means survivors."

Kara didn't mention that she had spent a lot of time on the images of Cornwell, far more time than she had on the images of Hartford. She heard Rebecca let out a sigh, presumably in relief.

"The bigger problem is heading into Massachusetts," Kara continued, switching the screens again. "Do you see that? It's a wall. In the middle of a highway. That was definitely intentional, and changes in vehicle locations between the two satellite images mean it's manned."

"We need to establish communication with whoever is up there before we send in a convoy filled with civilians." Slattery turned to Rickman and Rebecca. "You have anyone that's arrived from Springfield or Worcester recently?"

Rebecca responded. "Eddie – Eddie Ward – came from near Springfield."

"Former marine," Danny added. "Did combat in Afghanistan. Should have some insight."

"There's a few people from Worcester in the South Bay safe zone," Rickman added. "But they're teenage punks. Probably too drunk to remember the trip here."

"I want to talk directly with anyone coming from those areas," Slattery said firmly. "Lieutenant Granderson, let's get the message out that we will be in Hartford and Providence in two days to distribute the cure. We'll reconsider heading north once we get some additional intel. Oh, and Lieutenant Foster, Doctor Scott asked for your assistance once you are done here."

Kara nodded, thankful for any reason to leave this group behind. "I'll check in with her as soon as I coordinate with Kirkland."

A few minutes later, after finishing up with Kirkland, Kara began to ask Alisha for Doctor Scott's location, but was interrupted as Rebecca appeared beside her. "I am headed to the hospital myself. I'd be happy to show you the way."

Surprised, Kara murmured her consent, wondering whether there was an ulterior motive behind the offer. As they headed across the street, Kara noticed the tactical teams were loading up a number of vehicles to take the newly contagious civilians for a tour of the city. They had almost reached the hospital before Rebecca spoke. "Sorry about Officer Rickman. He's a good man. Just a little behind the times."

Kara gave Rebecca a grudging smile. "Not the first one I've run across."

"It's kind of strange to see a pregnant woman wearing a gun." Rebecca added after a short pause. "I think this might be a first for me."

"Obviously you didn't grow up in Kansas," Kara responded wryly. "Pretty much everyone I knew back home carried. My grandfather used to joke that I could shoot before I could talk."

"Well you aren't in Kansas anymore," Rebecca joked. Then asked in the same friendly manner, "How far along are you?"

Kara picked up her pace slightly. She didn't want to earn Slattery's wrath by letting her personal feelings impact the mission, but this was beyond awkward. "Thirty-five weeks."

"I can't imagine staying on a navy ship that long." For a moment Rebecca was silent. "Do you have a plan for after the baby arrives? Is the baby's father…alive?"

Taken aback by the personal nature of the questions, Kara was considered the nicest way to tell the other woman to shove off when Rebecca spoke again. "I apologize. It's none of my business and I didn't mean to pry. We just have so many orphans here. We don't even know some of the children's last names. We found one baby barely alive, cradled in her dead mother's arms, no ID. We saved her, but how can you hope to reunite a child with any surviving family when you don't even know who they are?"

The anguish in Rebecca's voice was palpable. A lump formed in Kara's throat at the thought of that baby, her mother's last acts to try to comfort her dying child. In some ways this baby was, truly, one of the lucky ones. "My husband is on the Nathan James," Kara said softly, uncomfortable with the lie by omission but not ready to tackle the subject of what – or who – she and Rebecca had in common. "We'll stay with my mother in Norfolk until he's home."

"I'm glad that you have family," Rebecca responded as they finally arrived at the hospital. "Kids need that stability."

"I'll just go find Doctor Scott and see what she needs," Kara said, moving away from the other woman as quickly as possible. Some of her desperation must have shown when she finally located the other woman.

"Is everything okay Kara?" Rachel asked, frowning as she straighten up from the patient she was examining.

"Everything is fine," Kara replied. Then, in response to Rachel's probing look, she added, "Although I might have changed my mind about wanting to be cleared for the land team. The Nathan James sounds like heaven right about now."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

The sun was setting by the time Cobra team returned to the command center. They had made good progress that afternoon, visiting all of the known safe houses in New London proper and arranging several meetings in nearby communities for the following day. The assistance provided by Officer Rickman's team had been instrumental, even if the man himself was on Danny's last nerve. Over the course of the afternoon Rickman's comments had grown so offensive that Danny could hear Burk grinding his teeth each time the man opened his mouth. At least Danny had made it clear that Kara was off limit.

 _"Damn, that girl is about to pop. Thought the navy had rules about things like that," Rickman had remarked as Rebecca and Kara walked by, headed towards the hospital. The men were waiting by the vehicles for the medical personnel they would be escorting throughout the city, the last group to leave the command center. Distracted by the sight of the two women together, wondering what they were talking about, Danny had almost missed Rickman's next comment. "Nice ass, though, and a decent rack. I'd hit that."_

 _Danny considered what the Captain would say if he shot the man. Not fatally, of course. The arm, a foot, maybe a well-placed bullet in the upper thigh… Luckily Tex wasn't so trigger happy. "I'd stop right there, buddy, unless you've got a hankering for a pavement sandwich."_

 _It had only taken the officer a second to realize his mistake. "Whose toes did I step on?"_

 _Danny let the silence stretch for a moment before he met Rickman's gaze. "I assume there will no further comments about my wife?"_

And there hadn't been. Just a slap on the back and a remark about how Danny was a lucky man. Then Rickman had told a series of offensive jokes and used a few colorful words that startled even Tex. Still, despite the officer's personal … shortcomings … Danny gave the man credit for keeping New London secure for the past months with only a small group of police and former military. Too often, the Nathan James had arrived to find scenes of disorder created not by the virus itself, but by the aftermath as desperate survivors fought over scarce resources, the lack of infrastructure adding to the logistical challenges in spreading the cure. New London had managed to evade that fate.

Checking in with Alisha, Danny learned that Slattery was currently briefing the Captain and would likely be tied up for another hour. He headed across the street towards the hospital cafeteria, where Bacon and his team had set up camp, allowing easy access for the crew, as well as the hospital staff and civilians located nearby. Nodding to the ensign on watch at the door to the hospital, Danny wondered uneasily where Kara was. Seeing her heading to the hospital with Rebecca earlier had been unsettling – especially since Danny hadn't told Rebecca about Kara. He reminded himself that there hadn't been an opportunity earlier to speak with Rebecca privately, and it was not the kind of conversation to have in front of either her colleagues or his team. But even in his head that sounded like a copout. He hadn't wanted to have that conversation – hoping that Rebecca would figure things out on her own. Now he'd just have to wait and see how pissed Kara was that he put her in such an awkward position.

Grabbing a roast beef sub and cup of soup, Danny was about to join Carlton and Tex when he recognized a man walking into the cafeteria, a small child perched on his shoulders. Setting down his food, he waved to the man. "Eddie?"

"Danny!" Eddie's smile was immediate as he changed directions. "I heard that you were here but didn't believe it."

Danny gave the man a tight hug, careful not to dislodge the small boy on his shoulders, who shyly buried his head in his father's hair. Eddie looked thin and tired. His eyes somber in a way that Danny had never seen before, even when Eddie returned from Afghanistan, having received a medical discharge after a land mine blew out under his Humvee. Danny had known Eddie as long as he could remember, both of them growing up in Cornwall, part of a tightknit group of boys that were always together. Caro had mockingly called them – he, Eddie, Waldron, and Tom – the four musketeers, derisively asking on more than one occasion whether they were capable of using the bathroom solo. For an instant, it felt like college days again – he and Eddie meeting up at the train station on their way to Cornwall, making plans to meet up later that night with Tom and Waldron.

"And that must be Tyler. Wow he's gotten big! Grab a seat – these are some of my guys – Burk and Tex. I'll get you some grub."

Returning to the counter, Danny waved down Bacon. "You have anything that a kid can eat?" He asked, looking dubiously at the roast beef subs. What did little kids eat anyway? Did a one year old have teeth?

Bacon chortled at the request, never caught off guard. "Grilled cheese and hot dogs. Which do you want?"

Danny shrugged, feeling completely out of his element. "Maybe one of both? Oh, and some milk or something."

"Coming right up." While he was waiting for Bacon, Danny grabbed a sub and cup of soup for Eddie, as well as a couple chocolate chip cookies that had just been put out. Gathering everything up, he headed back to the table where Eddie sat, his little boy beside him, squealing with delight as Tex played peek-a-boo with the child. No surprise there. Tex had a way of making everyone feel comfortable.

Setting the food down before Eddie, Danny admitted, "I wasn't sure what the little guy ate so I got some of everything. Figured he might not want a grinder."

Eddie chuckled as he started to cut up the hot dog. "Well, for an amateur you did pretty well. Most kids like hot dogs."

"Have to start thinking about this stuff," Danny replied. "Got one of my own on the way."

Danny watched as Tyler picked up a crayon and began doodling in a coloring book that Eddie must have brought with him. Danny had seen pictures of the newborn just before leaving for the arctic, all wrapped up in a blanket, only his tiny face visible. It was astonishing to see what a difference a year could make for a child. Instead of a helpless infant, Tyler was a little person. Is this what his baby would be like by the time he got back to Norfolk? Would he return to find a child rather than an infant?

Eddie looked up, his face surprised. "Congratulations, Green. Have to say that I'm a little surprised. I thought you were on the twenty year plan."

"Not sure there was any _plan_ involved," Tex teased, slapping Danny on the back.

Danny shook his head at the good natured ribbing. "Got hitched a couple months back too. I'll introduce you later. You'll love her. She can actually watch Blade Runner without falling asleep."

It struck Danny that he'd never introduced Kara to someone from his past before. For the first time in months, he wondered what it would have been like to take Kara home to Cornwall under normal circumstances, if the virus had never spread, if the Nathan James had returned to the same world that it left behind. Back in the arctic he had tried to imagine it – bringing her home to meet his family and friends – his first girlfriend since Rebecca. Danny suspected that it would have been an awkward visit. His parents would have gone overboard to make her feel welcome, of course, and Chris would have peppered her with questions about life on the ship, but Caro would have joined them, if at all, only out of curiosity, keeping a polite distance, unwilling to appear disloyal to Rebecca by doing anything more than tolerating Kara's presence.

"She's on the ship?" Eddie asked, eyebrows rising. "Sure that you and Howe didn't change places? Never thought that I would see the day that Mr. Navy risked screwing up his career over a women. She must be pretty special."

"She is," Danny confirmed ruefully. Waldron Howe would have laughed himself silly at the news that Danny had violated navy protocol. The ladies' man of the group, Waldron had prided himself on never bringing the same woman home twice and had made it clear that he had no intention of settling down before forty. He flirting with Caro relentlessly, amused rather than deterred by her constant set downs. If Howe had joined the navy (something that, thankfully, the man had never been interested in doing), he would have come home from each deployment with a new conquest, interpreting the fraternization policy as a challenge rather than a rule. "Have you heard from Waldron? Tom? Anyone in Cornwell?"

Eddie set his sub down, his eyes on his plate. "Nothing in months. Waldron was in Boston, last I heard. The flu spread fast and he didn't think he could get out so he was going to hole up. Tom was in Cornwall. He had a radio and would check in every couple of days, giving me an update on my parents. Then he just stopped. I figured that wasn't good news." He paused. "If you're planning a trip that way, I'd like to go. Look for my parents and maybe find out what happened."

Although the news was not unexpected, Danny felt a pit growing in his stomach. Tom losing contact, that did not bode well for conditions in Cornwall. His mood somber, Danny reached out to clasp Eddie on the shoulder. "Of course. And I'm sorry about Amber."

There was a moment of silence as Eddie composed himself. "Things you never think about, you know, when you get married. You never think about … think that something might happen. That ride here, I just kept praying, hoping that they could do something to help her, to save her. When they couldn't, I just …. Well, I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for my boy here. At least I still have him."

So Amber had been black tagged – one of the people that arrived too sick, too far gone to risk "wasting" a dose of the cure. Danny set down his sandwich, no longer hungry, an image of Amber floating through his mind. Impossible to believe that a person so happy, so full of life, was gone forever. One victim among billions of the Red Flu. It must have been awful for Rebecca, seeing one of her closest friends so sick and not being able to do anything to help her.

"It's all Amber ever wanted – to be a mother." Eddie added. "The day that Tyler was born was the happiest day of her life. I'm glad she had that."

"He looks kind of like her," Danny offered. Not for the first time, he wondered what his and Kara's baby would look like. Would it be a little blondie like him? Or have Kara's dark hair and hazel eyes?

Another sad smile crossed Eddie's face. "That he does."

After a moment, Burk spoke. "Heard you came in from Springfield?" Eddie nodded. "If you're up for it, the Captain and XO would like to talk to you – you and anyone else that arrived recently – about the situation up north. The Massachusetts border looks like a mess."

"Happy to help if I can," Eddie replied immediately. "We were a little west of there, not Springfield proper, staying with my in-laws. Not sure how much detail I can provide, though. We travelled at night, staying off the main roads to avoid attracting attention."

"How did you know there was a cure in New London?" Danny asked. Eddie shrugged.

"There had been rumors floating around for the past couple months that the navy had a cure. But it was just another rumor. There had been hundreds of them and none had been true. Then, about six weeks back, a truck arrived from Connecticut. Somehow the driver made it through the border patrol. He claimed that he had been distributing a cure, and dropped the last of his doses off in New London. It didn't make much sense to me – why would he drop off doses in New London and drive northwest with an empty truck? I figured it was nonsense."

Danny agreed with Eddie – that situation made no sense. Maybe the driver had been trying to reach family? Perhaps he'd hidden a few doses for himself and didn't want others to know?

"But then my father-in-law got sick," Eddie continued. "At first we thought that it was just a cold – we couldn't figure out how he was exposed – we hadn't seen anyone new in weeks! But within days he and my mother-in-law were dead and Amber was sick. New London was the only place that I could think of to go."

Danny and Carlton exchanged glances. The Immunes had deliberately infected people, using blankets or clothing from the deceased. Could they have been operating this far north? "What kind of border patrol are we talking?"

"Pretty strict. Boston was hit hard during the outbreak and the National Guard fell back to Worcester, establishing four different quarantine zones in Western Massachusetts. Orders were to shoot anyone trying to pass from one zone to another on sight. No exceptions. I didn't even try the southern border. I went over the Mohawk trail into New York and came back around to Connecticut. I figured the Boston boys wouldn't know about the old road up there and I was right. But man it was scary taking those turns in the dead of night with no headlights."

Danny exchanged a look with Carlton. This was exactly the kind of information that the Captain and XO needed to hear. Danny checked his watch, twenty more minutes until the briefing.

"If you could come with Burk here to the briefing in about twenty minutes, share all of that with the team, we'd appreciate it."

"Of course," Eddie responded. "Where are you off too?"

"Need to check on someone," Danny hedged, ignoring Tex's laughter.

Five minutes later, carrying several trays loaded with food, Danny stepped onto the second floor. Bacon had been only too happy to make up platters of food for Kara, Doctor Scott, and Bertrise, with some extra for anyone else on the floor. Bumping into Bertrise, Danny motioned to the food he was carrying. "Special delivery from Bacon. Can you let Lieutenant Foster and Doctor Scott know? Is Doctor Milowsky here?"

"No, he and the other doctors left a bit ago," Bertrise responded. Danny relaxed slightly. It didn't sound like Kara and Rebecca had spent the day together, at least. "Something about laboratory equipment. You'll have to ask Doctor Scott. I'll go find her."

Just as Bertrise turned to leave, Kara stepped out of another room, pulling off her gloves. Catching her eye, Danny motioned towards the food. She smiled at him.

"That smells good. I think there is an empty table in here," Kara said, stepping towards a doorway. Danny followed, setting one of the trays before the chair that Kara had chosen and flopping down next to her. Watching as Kara considered the options before her, Danny resisted the urge to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She looked adorably disheveled. "How much of the city did you get through today?"

"We're done with the city limit," Danny answered, snagging a grape tomato from her plate, popping it into his mouth. "We set a couple meetings up for tomorrow in the local towns, then it's time to push north. You and Doctor Scott going to the briefing?"

"Yes. We're in fairly good shape here…oopf!" Kara gasped as the baby rolled unexpectedly, her entire stomach shifting from one side to the other.

Laughing, Danny reached forward to pat Kara's bump. "Be nice to mama, little buddy. You have to let her eat."

"You know that isn't exactly comfortable," Kara grumbled, giving him the side eye. Still laughing, Danny leaned back in his chair, snatching another tomato. It was the soft sound from the doorway that alerted him to the fact that they weren't alone.

Rebecca stood at the doorway, a bright smile plastered across her face, one that didn't meet her eyes. "This looks delicious. I assume you don't mind if I help myself?"


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

"I need that equipment!" Doctor Milowsky repeated passionately. "If we could rebuild the Solace lab, we could produce the aerosol at five times the rate that we are now. Just imagine the progress we could make if Solace was fully operational. We could inoculate those near the port with the contagious cure while simultaneously doing two or three helo drops in a single day! We could spread the cure across Europe in weeks, then head to Africa or South America."

"What makes you so certain that this lab would have escaped the Immunes' notice?" Captain Chandler responded. Kara shifted in her chair again, unable to get comfortable, her back aching. The meeting had been long, as always, and these hotel chairs seemed particularly uncomfortable. "They managed to destroy every other CDC qualified lab that we have located. And we know that there was bombing in Hartford."

"This lab was new," Doctor Morrison, one of the doctors that they had met here at New London, explained. "It was installed only six months before the pandemic began. The hospital was still in the process of applying for certification through the CDC. It was expected to take months. The hospital wouldn't have appeared on any list of treatment centers."

"And the location is unique – a children's hospital," Rachel added. "Even if the Immunes were operating this far north, their methods have always been crude – simple destruction. Without Niels' guidance, I doubt they are well versed enough in healthcare to understand that a children's hospital might be equipped to handle exotic diseases."

Kara had known something exciting was happening when Doctor Milowsky had appeared, out of breath, and pulled Doctor Scott aside just as the briefing began. Rebuilding Solace had been his dream since the day he arrived on the Nathan James, but the Immunes' efforts to stop the spread of the cure had not been limited to missile strikes. Niels had also, conveniently, provided the Ramsey brothers and their followers with the location of every CDC qualified laboratory in the country, and the Immunes had spared no time laying waste. During Rachel's recovery in St. Louis, Doctor Milowsky had managed to cobble together enough equipment to establish a facility there capable of producing the vaccine and aerosol, but like the Nathan James, the new laboratory was hampered by the limited quantities that could be produced. Demand was constantly exceeding supply, forcing them all to rely on the contagious cure as much as possible. If the aerosol could be created in larger quantities, it would greatly accelerate the process, allowing them to rely on helicopter drops rather than being forced to put boots on the ground at each location. If there truly was undamaged equipment in Hartford, they could not afford to pass up the opportunity.

"Send the helo?" Slattery suggested. "We could do an aerosol drop at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone."

Captain Chandler shook his head. "We need to give at least twenty-four hours' notice for an aerosol drop to get a decent size crowd. If we are going to wait that long, we might as well take advantage of the time. The 91 is jammed. Suggestions for an alternative route, Green?"

"We could go west to Bridgeport first, sir, then north, circling back east to Hartford. Fastest route would be Route 8 to the 84." Danny motioned towards Eddie Ward, who stood to the side of the room. Danny had pointed out his childhood friend to Kara earlier. "Ward came that way a couple weeks ago without incident."

"Route 7 runs through your hometown, correct?" Slattery put in.

Danny nodded. "Yes, but reaching it would take longer as we'd have to go west to Norwalk. Route 7 would put us closer to the Massachusetts border with the possibility of making contact, though."

"That's what we'll do then," Captain Chandler spoke assuredly. "Cobra team and a few local volunteers to spread the contagious cure. Plan for an overnight trip. First day hit as many towns as possible, spreading the cure and checking out the border, reaching Hartford by evening. You can load the equipment that night. We'll send out a message that you'll be at the stadium in Hartford between nine and two the day after tomorrow."

"I…" but that was all that Rachel got out before the Captain interrupted. "You are _not_ going."

"I don't intent to," Rachel said, a smirk crossing her face. "I was going to suggest that Doctor Morrison and Miss Carlton accompany Cobra. They are both from Hartford and therefore are familiar with the area and the hospital and would undoubtedly be of great assistance in locating the necessary equipment and making sure that it is packed securely and not broken. Plus, while I do agree that there is something ….appealing … about a man in a uniform, the presence of a doctor, especially one without a gun, tends to be reassuring to the local communities."

Kara bit back at snicker at the expression on Captain Chandler's face. Rachel definitely kept the man on his toes. Right now he looked like he wasn't sure whether he wanted to strangle her or kiss her breathless. It was fascinating watching the self-assured Captain fumble as he navigated this new type of relationship – one clearly outside of the usual bounds of the navy command structure.

"What she really means is that Duck Dynasty over there is going to run everyone off," Danny said, barely audibly, catching Kara's eye.

"I'd like to volunteer as well, Captain Chandler." Eddie spoke from the back of the room.

Kara felt Danny stiffen beside her. Captain Chandler must have noticed as well, cocking an eyebrow at him. "Green? Something I should know?"

For a moment there was silence as Danny and Eddie looked at each other, some kind of unspoken communication happening between the two men. Then Eddie spoke. "I had some troubles after Afghanistan. But I got help and I have my head on straight now. Only way I got through the hell of the last year."

"Happy to have you on the team, Ward," Captain Chandler said firmly, his decision immediate. Danny still didn't speak and Kara wondered what he was thinking. He had told her stories of the mischief he and his friends had gotten into back in the day, but never mentioned that Eddie was in the military. It seemed like an unusual – and concerning – omission.

A few minutes later, as the meeting broke up, Kara stood wearily. She was ready to collapse into bed but with Danny leaving early in the morning, she didn't want to fall asleep before they had a chance to talk. There were too many things unsettled at the moment, and Kara was well aware that there might not be another chance to settle them.

"Come on, I'll introduce you," Danny said quietly as the group began to disburse, directing her towards the corner. "Eddie, meet my wife, Kara. Kara, this is my buddy Eddie."

Kara smiled at the man as they shook hands. "A pleasure."

"Have to admit, Green, when you said that you had a baby on the way, I didn't realize you meant any minute," Eddie teased, smiling back at Kara. Then, more somberly, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Danny. If you don't want me on your team, I understand. No hard feelings."

Danny took a moment to reply. "I've lost a lot of guys in the last year. A lot of friends. Not sure I can lose another one right now. So no getting killed out there, okay?"

"It's a deal." The two men stared at each other for a few moments, until Eddie broke the silence. "I should go. Have to go make arrangements for Tyler for the next couple of days."

As Eddie left the room, Kara noticed that he brushed past Rebecca without a word, puzzling her. Weren't they all friends? Seeing Rebecca standing across the room alone, Kara nudged Danny. "Go talk to her. You are going to be spending the next two days with her. You need to work things out. Now. I'll take Halsey out before heading up."

When Danny hesitated, Kara gave him a soft shove. He was headed to Cornwall tomorrow and there was no telling what they would find there. Whether or not Danny realized it, he needed to resolve things with Rebecca, and it was not a discussion that he should have in front of anyone else.

 _"This looks delicious. I assume you don't mind if I help myself?"_

 _Kara had known the moment she saw Rebecca standing in the doorway that the other woman had connected the dots. The fake smile plastered across Rebecca's face was in complete contrast to the easy, natural one that Kara had seen multiple times that afternoon as she and Rachel working with the other woman to attend to the now recovering patients. Next to her, Danny choked on the tomato he had just popped in his mouth._

 _Apparently he had not been expected Rebecca to be here._

 _"Plenty for everyone. Danny brought up half the cafeteria," Kara replied, deliberately using Danny's name versus his title, although the words felt awkward. Strange how, after months of formality on the Nathan James, she felt more comfortable referring to her husband as Lieutenant Green rather than Danny to others. "I'm eating for two, not twenty."_

 _Rebecca responded with a forced laugh, placing several pickles and tomato on her plate, plainly not paying attention to what she was gathering._

 _"I didn't really properly introduce the two of you earlier," Danny said finally, his voice wary. "Rebecca, this is my wife, Kara."_

 _"Yes, Kara has been helping us with some of the patients," Rebecca replied. "She and Rachel have been of enormous help."_

 _As soon as Rebecca had finished gathering her food (several more pickles, which Kara assumed had been tossed as soon as Rebecca realized what was actually on her plate), she had fled, the uncomfortable tension in the room evident to all of them. Kara looked at Danny, raising her eyebrow. For a man as smart as Danny, he could be shockingly clueless when it came to interpersonal relationships. "You are a lucky man."_

 _Danny frowned at her, then wry amusement crossed his face. "Because I only managed to piss off one woman in the last five minutes?"_

 _"Exactly," Kara replied, taking a bite from one of Bacon's delicious chocolate chip cookies._

Kara hadn't expected to like Rebecca, predisposed to see the other woman as the adversary, but she was nice. She had gone out of her way to speak with Kara and smooth over Rickman's rude words (before she knew who Kara was, obviously). She had been helpful and gracious to Doctor Scott, and it had quickly been obvious that she was well liked and respected by her colleagues and the patients at the hospital. If the circumstances had been different, Kara thought that they might have been friends. But no matter how nice Rebecca was, Kara was not thrilled that Danny was going to be spending the next two days in her company, or that Rebecca would be the person going to Cornwall with him. Kara felt a pang of regret. If it weren't for the baby, she could have been the one going, the one there to support him, rather than another woman.

Instantly guilt-ridden, Kara rubbed the baby's head (or bottom). From the moment that she learned she was pregnant, she had loved this child with an intensity that she hadn't known existed. But at moments like this, she couldn't help but wish that she and Danny had been more careful. That they had waited for a better time. Her entire life had been upended, and despite Commander Garnett's assurances otherwise, Kara couldn't help but feel that she would never be able to return to the life that she had led for the last four years. Taking a deep breath and composing herself, Kara headed upstairs to gather Halsey for his evening constitutional. She could not afford to give in to her emotions. For now, she needed to focus on helping Danny get through the next few days and completing the work they had begun here in New London. Everything else would have to wait.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Perplexed by the cold shoulder that Eddie had given Rebecca, Danny headed across the room, which was still fairly crowded. Reaching Rebecca, he scouted around for a quiet spot. "I'd like a word. Should we head outside?"

Rebecca nodded, preceding him towards the entrance. It was chilly now that the sun had set, the intense dark broken only by the soft light pouring from the hotel's windows. Despite the generators being fully operational, there was no reason to waste power on external lights.

"What happened between you and Eddie?" he asked, leaning against the building, stalling.

"He blames me for Amber's death," Rebecca admitted. "She was so sick by the time they arrived. There was no way she could survive. I wanted to give her the cure so badly, hoping for a miracle. But I couldn't. What if we ran out and someone else died – someone that we could save – because I broke the rule for a friend? So I did my job. I didn't give her the shot. And Amber died. And Eddie will never forgive me for that."

 _I did my job_. The words reverberated in Danny's head, the words themselves so simple but the outcome so horrific. He had never imagined Rebecca capable of making that type of life and death decision. But if the last year had taught him anything, it was that tough times brought out both the best and the worst in people, and only the strong survived.

"Kara had the virus." Danny let the words hang for a moment. "Doctor Scott was testing her first vaccine and Kara volunteered for the trial. But it didn't work. They all got sicker and sicker. And I sat there in a hazmat suit, holding Kara's hand, wondering what I would do if she died. When Doctor Scott saved Kara, she gave me a reason to keep living. You did that for Eddie. You saved Tyler's life. You gave Eddie a reason to live, even if he can't see that right now."

He couldn't see Rebecca's face, but he thought he heard a sob. "Thank you."

It was easier talking to her like this, unable to see her face. "I screwed up today. I didn't know what to say when I saw you, so I didn't say anything. I'm sorry that I hurt you. Caro used to say that I had the emotional intelligence of a flea."

Rebecca laughed. "Caroline always had a way with words. But I should have seen it right away. You're wearing a wedding ring, for heaven's sake. It's just…well…this is stupid. But when I heard your voice over the radio, it felt like a fairy tale – the knight on the white horse coming to save the princess from her exile and take her home – as if you had arrived to save me, take me back to Cornwall, to everyone we loved, and it would be as if the Red Flu never happened. We could rewind the clock and start over. I can't believe I just said that out loud, it sounds so ridiculous."

"I'm not a knight, Rebecca," Danny responded, uncomfortable with the portrayal. Rebecca had always had a romantic streak, one that had struck him as oddly incongruent with her profession as a scientist dedicated to truth and facts. But it allowed her to focus on the best in people – she had certainly always seen the best in him. And he had enjoyed that, he realized, relishing her idolized version of him.

"You did the right thing, breaking things off." Rebecca stepped closer, leaning against the wall next to him. "I knew that it wasn't going to work. I just couldn't admit it. I wanted you to be someone that you weren't – I wanted you to want the life that I did. And the navy wasn't a part of that." A moment of silence. "Lieutenant Foster, Kara, told me she was going back to Norfolk to have the baby. Staying with her mother while you remained on the ship."

"She did?" Danny asked, surprised. He wondered how that had come up. Kara rarely spoke what would happen after the baby was born. It was strange that she would choose Rebecca, of all people, to confide in.

"I asked," Rebecca answered the unspoken question. "She's stronger than me. I couldn't do that. Being left alone with a baby to take care of while the whole world was in pieces."

Was that how Kara saw it, Danny wondered? That he was abandoning her with an infant and an unreliable mother in Norfolk?

"Don't put yourself down. You are a strong woman, Rebecca, you had to be in order to survive the last year," Danny responded.

"Did the two of you … know each other then? Is that why you…." Rebecca asked haltingly.

"No," Danny responded instantly. "We met later, on the Nathan James. There was nothing like that Rebecca."

"I just needed to know," Rebecca explained. "Caroline thought that there might be someone else. She said you were acting guilty."

Danny thought back to those last moments with Caro again. He could see how Caro had thought that. He had felt guilty. Guilty that he didn't love Rebecca the way he should. Guilty that he couldn't want the life that she did. Guilty that he hadn't broken things off earlier, feeling as though he had been stringing Rebecca along. Guilty at the upset he was causing not just to Rebecca but to his family and friends, especially Caro. "She was upset that I didn't tell her in advance."

A short laugh. "I know. If there is one thing that Caroline hated, it was not being in the know. Things were pretty rough between Caroline and I for a while there. She was sure that you would come to your senses and that we could patch things up. She didn't believe me when I told her it was really over. I felt bad about that, once the Red Flu hit. We didn't leave things on the best of terms. I keep hoping that tomorrow…"

"I know." The pressure on Danny's chest increased until he could barely breathe. Tomorrow he would know. Maybe. Or maybe not. That was the worst part. He might never know what had happened to them.

"I was surprised, actually, that it wasn't harder," Rebecca spoke again. Danny turned towards her, confused by the comment.

"I missed you, of course," she explained. "But we already lived separate lives. We saw each other what, once a month if we were lucky? And that was only if you weren't deployed. Sometimes it was once or twice a year. That was when I realized how far apart we had grown. I was _used_ to going months without seeing you. It had become normal. The hardest part was not having someone to call at the end of the day. I missed talking to you more than anything."

"Me too," Danny admitted. "I used to pick up the phone sometimes, dialing your number without thinking. It was tough not being able to talk to you or Caro. It felt like I lost two of my best friends in one swoop."

The silence stretched between them but, unlike earlier, this silence was no longer tense or awkward. Kara had been right (as usual). He and Rebecca had needed to talk.

"Probably should turn in before it's too late," Danny said finally. "Let me walk you back to the hospital."

"I hope that we – maybe even Kara – can all be friends, Danny," Rebecca's voice was earnest. "I've lost a lot of people in the last year. I don't want to lose you again."

"Of course we can be friends," Danny reassured her automatically. But he didn't really know how that would work. Kara had told him to talk to Rebecca, but what he really needed to do was to talk to Kara. She was so composed, so controlled. It could be hard to figure out what she was thinking or feeling, especially when she didn't want him to. And he suspected that she was deliberately keeping things from him right now, that she didn't want to talk to him about Rebecca, that the situation was bothering her more than she wanted him to know. And the fact that she had told Rebecca about going to Norfolk – something that she generally refused to discuss – suggested that it was on her mind.

Leaving Rebecca at the hospital door, Danny turned towards the hotel, hoping to catch Kara before she fell asleep. But as soon as he opened the door to their shared room, Danny realized that it wasn't meant to be. Although the light was on, Kara was asleep, a book slumped across her chest, Halsey curled up on the floor next to her, looking at him with sleepy eyes. Snapping off the light, Danny undressed and lay down on the other side of the bed, staring into the darkness as he considering again what Rebecca had said earlier. He and Kara had had both known that she would have to leave the Nathan James at some point, and he would have to make a choice – family or navy, duty or love, Kara and the baby or the Nathan James – but it had seemed so far away, and the mission had been the priority. Now time had passed and the moment of truth was nearly here – and if there was one thing that Danny knew for sure, it was that he wasn't ready.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

"I recognized that look," Eddie said with a smirk as the vehicles finally rumbled out of New London. "You got laid."

Doctor Morrison started sputtering, coughing up the water he had just drunk. Danny rolled his eyes. Kara had woken him up in a particularly … pleasant manner that morning, but they were well past the age of kiss and tell. There were disadvantages to being around his childhood friend. It sort of felt like being seventeen again.

"And here I thought that was Green's normal face," Tex joked from the front seat. "He has apparently been a very happy man in the time that I have known him. Well, except those first few weeks after Gitmo. Glad that hoity-toity routine didn't last long."

"What happened in Gitmo? Hopefully it involves Danny screwing something up," Eddie jested. "Have to take advantages of those moments."

Danny had split the party between two vehicles, Burk, Wolf, Miller and Rebecca following them along the broken road. He hadn't wanted Eddie to be in the same vehicle as Rebecca, but apparently he should have separated Tex and Eddie as well. The two men had hit it off immediately.

"What are you? A bunch of gossiping old ladies?" Danny retorted half-heartedly, knowing it was useless to try to stop them and enjoying the camaraderie, even if he was the chosen punching bag. References to Gitmo no longer smarted the way that they used to, overshadowed by all that had happened since then, seeming far longer than six months ago.

Tex turned around and winked at Eddie. He was seated in the passenger seat while Cruz drove. "I'll make you a deal. For every good piece of intel you give me on golden boy over there, I will return the favor."

Eddie smirked in Danny's direction. "You aware of Green's obsession with old sci-fi movies?"

"All that talk wasn't just to impress the lovely KFG?" Tex hooted. Danny kicked the man's seat. "I'll give you the life story of Danny Green and you tell me where I am wrong. First-born son, apple of his parents' eyes. Straight A student. Football player…"

"Soccer," Eddie interrupted.

"My mother is a doctor. She was worried about concussions," Danny added.

Tex snorted. "Soccer player. Popular with the girls. Voted homecoming king…" Eddie was now laughing so hard that he was crying.

"Runner-up, actually," Danny tossed in. Waldron had won, of course.

"Never in any trouble. Probably didn't even skip school." Tex was on a roll now.

"He did get suspended once." Eddie threw in. Danny groaned. Tex would love this story. "We decided to let some chickens loose in the school as a prank. Unfortunately for Green here, the chickens came from his house. His dad recognized them immediately. That was a scene. The school principal suspending his own kid."

Even Doctor Morrison laughed at that one. "Dear lord, Green, and I thought Kara was the farm girl," Tex drawled.

"Says the man named Tex who's from Reno," Danny retorted.

"You owe me something now," Eddie piped in. "Something about Kara."

"I got one," Tex replied. "So I join the Nathan James at Gitmo and that lout gets assigned as my roommate. Now he's going on and on about the navy fraternization policy but it doesn't take long before I start to notice that he spends a _lot_ of time watching a certain pretty lieutenant, and I am not talking about Burk. But Green insists that there's nothing going on. Until one day Danny does a swan dive onto the floor of the crew lounge. Everyone freaks out that it's the Red Flu and the Captain orders the ship locked down and everyone in biohazard suits. A minute later the lounge door swings open and a certain lieutenant comes charging in, looks right at the Captain, and says 'if he has it, I have it - _we had lunch together_.'"

"Lunch?" Eddie was roaring with laughter. "That was the best excuse she could come up with?"

"The look on Captain Chandler's face was indescribable," Cruz added, chuckling. "I thought he was going to kill all of us on the spot. You were lucky to be unconscious, sir."

Yes, Danny thought with a twinge of guilt, lucky. He had been able to avoid not only the Captain's response, but also the reaction of the crew upon finding out what he and Kara had been up to in the arctic. Kara, unfortunately, had not been so lucky. She had forced to face both the Captain and the crew, immediately and alone. Danny's memories of the two days after he collapsed were blurry, random images of people coming and going and snippets of conversation that made little sense. His first clear memory was waking up and seeing Kara, eyes closed as she leaned against the door to the medical bay, looking exhausted. He had thought perhaps he was imagining the sight, and had croaked her name questioningly.

 _"Kara?"_

 _At the sound of his voice, her eyes had popped open and she moved to his side. "Danny?" She felt his forehead, and then gave a sigh of relief. "Your fever seems to have broken. How are you feeling?"_

 _"Thirsty," he replied, unwilling to admit that he could barely lift his head from the pillow. Using what little strength he had, he reached out to take her hand, needing that connection. The last few weeks had been agonizing - missing the sound of her voice, the sight of her smile, the feeling of her heart beating when she was wrapped in his arms, her soft breath against his chest. "What happened?"_

 _"You had dengue fever," she explained. "You've been so sick. I was afraid…" She stopped, turning to pick up a cup with a straw from behind the bunk. "Here, drink some water. I'll get Doc Rios."_

 _His strength gone, Danny had fallen back asleep. Waking up a couple of hours later he had seen Doctor Scott bustling around the medical bay. Upon noticing that he was awake, she had come to check on him._

 _"How long have I been out of it?" Danny asked feeling disoriented._

 _"Two days," Doctor Scott replied. Then in a telling statement, she continued. "Lieutenant Foster has been very concerned. She has hardly left your side. I imagine she'll be back as soon as she is off duty."_

 _And as if that wasn't enough to let Danny know that the cat was out of the bag, both Burk and Tex had mentioned Kara when they swung by, independently, to check on him later that day. Tex had been only too willing to fill Danny in on the events in the crew lounge, making sure to rub it in that, no matter what Danny said, things with Kara were plainly not over. As Tex told the tale, in addition to his own embarrassment, Danny had felt physically ill knowing that Kara had been forced to face the Captain and the crew alone. He had heard the crude comments made about female sailors caught breaking the fraternization rules, the blame so often placed disproportionately on their shoulders. If his team where still alive, they would have stepped in, protected her for him. But his team was gone and he was stuck in this bed, barely able to make it to the head by himself. Kara was dealing with the fallout herself._

 _After an uneasy night of restless sleep, Danny had broken down and asked Burk how she was doing. It has been an awkward conversation. While in the arctic, he and Burk had developed only a casual acquaintance, their interactions limited to the occasional game of poker and a few superficial conversations. Even their duties on the Nathan James had not brought them into close contact, as Danny and his team had spent their days on the ice with Doctors Scott and Tophet, while Burk remained on the ship assisting in the weapons tests that were being conducted. In the weeks since they had left the arctic, their connection had mainly come from their joint efforts to train the crew for the new mission and little of a personal nature had been shared. Worse, Danny knew that Burk felt protective of Kara, seeing her as something of a little sister after spending three years working closely together on the Nathan James. But there was no one else Danny could ask, Tex still too much of an outsider to understand the implications of breaking the rules._

 _"I heard that Kara stopped by the crew lounge while I was unconscious," Danny said casually once Burk had finished his report of the day's training._

 _"She did," Burk replied, his voice guarded. Danny was an outsider, not a member of the Nathan James crew, assigned to the ship for only a single deployment. Burk had no reason to trust him, especially now._

 _"I heard that the Captain wasn't too happy about that," Danny pushed on._

 _"She got two weeks, stern and aft, six and six. Plus regular duties. Plus creating a new training program for the engineering JOs." Burk leaned back in his chair as he delivered the news, watching Danny's reaction. Although Danny wasn't surprised, he still felt like he had been punched in the gut. Kara would be on duty for a minimum of eighteen hours a day for the next two weeks. No wonder she hadn't been anywhere in sight._

 _"Anyone giving her a hassle?" He asked, finally voicing the question that had been taunting him all night. Understanding what Danny was really asking, Burk paused, sizing him up. Danny met his gaze directly. He was embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior, but he wasn't embarrassed of how he felt about Kara._

 _"Captain was pretty pissed," Carlton acknowledged. "He sent us all out but you could hear him two decks up. Captain Chandler's a reasonable man, though. Once the punishment is done, he won't hold it against her. As for the rest, Kara has been on the ship for three years, and we are all pretty tight." Danny felt a small sense of relief over that, at least. "Besides, I don't think the crew was quite as surprised by the news as the CO. You've been watching her since we left Norfolk. Think the only surprise was that it wasn't all one-sided. In any event, we have bigger problems."_

 _Burk had gone on to explain about the sailors – including Cossetti – who had asked to leave the Nathan James. The timing had worked in Danny's favor. Violating a few rules about fraternization – even screwing up a mission (especially one where nobody actually got hurt) – was nothing compared to abandonment of the crew, of the ship, of the mission. Even Danny's conversation with the Captain had been anti-climactic, the activities with Bertrise and the Vyerni having intervened and taken priority. The hardest person to talk to about the situation, ironically, had been Kara herself. Although he had seen her in CIC, it hadn't been until after their return from the Vyerni when he had finally caught her alone. He had come off the overnight shift and was on his way to grab a bite before meeting the team for their first training session of the day, set at 0730 in an attempt to avoid the punishing heat, when he bumped into Kara, almost literally, at the door to the officers' mess._

 _"Lieutenant," she nodded formally as she stepped back, waiting for him to enter so she could leave. She looked tired, her face pale, rings under her eyes, but all he could think about was how beautiful she was. Scanning the room to confirm that they were along, Danny shut the door behind him, blocking her escape._

 _"We haven't had a chance to talk," he said, leaning back against the door, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms._

 _"I'm sorry I outed us – outed you – to the Captain," Kara said, meeting his gaze, her eyes somber. "Heard you got night watch?_

 _Danny shrugged. The worst part of his punishment wasn't the watch, it had been the mortifying task of talking to his team about how badly he had screwed up at Gitmo. Not only that he had almost blown the mission, but that he had created the situation by insisting on joining Kara on the boat in the first place, knowing that his emotions were compromised. And then he had topped it all off by blaming it all on Kara – although he hadn't shared that particular fact with the guys. "Night watch isn't bad. Gives me time to think. Consider what I've gotten right. What I've gotten wrong. Recently I've gotten a lot of things wrong. Starting with Gitmo. I was the one that screwed up. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."_

 _"We should never have allowed ourselves to be in that position," Kara responded, looking away. "I am as much to blame for that as you."_

 _"I thought that if I wasn't around you, it would be easier," Danny admitted. "But it wasn't. My team is gone. All of my friends dead. My family probably dead as well. I don't want to lose you too."_

 _"We can't…." Kara began, but Danny cut her off._

 _"Not now. But once we get back home, we can start again. Do things the right way."_

 _"We don't know how long this mission will take or when we will get back to Norfolk – whatever is left of it." Kara shook her head. "Things could change."_

 _"I meant what I said that night. I love you. Two months, two years. That isn't going to change, Kara."_

 _Kara had hesitated, and he had been afraid that it was already too late, that he had screwed things up too much, that she didn't feel the same way about him that he did about her. Then, after what felt like an eternity, she had reached out to grasp his hand. "I love you too."_

 _They had stood there, his hand in hers, and for that brief moment, Danny had felt at peace._

Danny was pulled from his musing as they began to pass houses, Tex and Eddie continued their banter, having moved on to mocking Danny's (admittedly) poor skiing technique, an irony considering his most recent arctic assignment. Cruz slowing as they all scanned for civilians.

"There!" Danny said abruptly – pointing to the twitching of a curtain in a window. "Looks like we have our first stop. Ready Doctor Morrison?"

It was the first stop of many. Four hours later they finally reached Norwalk, traveling a distance that would have taken no more than forty-five minutes under normal conditions. The word had apparently begun to spread, both from New York and New London, that the navy was distributing the cure and the populace, while cautious, had not been overly suspicious. In New Haven, they had been especially fortunate and made contact with several of Doctor Morrison's colleagues, who had quickly grasped the importance of the contagious cure and arranged for its spread throughout the city.

"Cobra to base," Danny called, hoping that Kara would be at the other end. Hearing her voice was always reassuring, even though there would be nothing personal discussed.

But it was Slattery's gravelly voice rather than Kara who answered. "Base here."

"We've finished in Norwalk and are heading north. Should reach next objective in thirty minutes." Danny didn't mention that the next objective was Cornwall. He wiggled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had been growing all day, the feeling that something was wrong.

"Excellent progress," Slattery replied. "What is the situation there?"

"There was a similar emergency plan enacted here as there was in New London, sir. Doctor Morrison's presence has been extremely helpful in explaining the situation to the local medical community." Danny wondered if Slattery would pass that gem along to Doctor Scott. The two had developed a firm friendship since the events of the Vyerni, one that seemed to be rooted in their shared desire to keep the Captain safe, as well as to keep him on his toes.

"Roger that. Base out."

As they headed north, Danny found himself more and more distracted, his thoughts turning to Cornwall and what they might find upon their arrival They were still ten minutes south of their objective when shots rang out, catching him by surprise, coming out of nowhere as they rounded a curve, the heavy leaf cover along the small two-lane highway making for poor visibility. Cruz spun the SUV sideways, blocking the road and allowing them all to take cover.

"Turn around and go back the way you came!" The order was punctuated by a few additional shots that landed nowhere near the SUV. Either the person shooting was a terrible shot or, more likely, their intention was not to actually hit anything. This type of situation wasn't unusual, locals protecting their territory and families.

"This is Lieutenant Daniel Green with the U.S. Navy. We are headed north to Cornwall. We have the cure to the Red Flu. Happy to share it with all of you."

"We've heard that before," a man replied. The voice sounded familiar and Danny raised an eyebrow at Eddie. "We aren't interested in your _cure_."

Eddie spoke softly. "Mr. Will, the mailman."

In his ear, Danny could hear Burk advising base of the situation, then he and Wolf appeared, running up from the second vehicle, which had remained several clicks back per protocol. "Wolf, take Doctor Morrison to Miller, just in case. Then see if you can figure out where those shots are coming from."

"I grew up in Cornwall," Danny shouted back. "Dr. Green's son. Just trying to get home to my family. Is that you Mr. Will?"

There was a long pause, then Mr. Will replied. "How do we know this isn't a trick?"

"Ask me anything you want to know," Danny responded. "I have Eddie Ward here with me. Coreen and Stan Ward's son. Found him down in New London."

"Hi Mr. Will!" Eddie shouted, although it was unlikely that the man would recognize the voices of two men that had left Cornwall ten years before.

"Who was your fifth grade teacher?"

That was easy. Cornwell wasn't that big – there were only two options. "Mrs. Taylor."

"Name of your dog?"

Mr. Will had loved animals, learning the names of all of the dogs on his routes and carrying treats for the days when he dropped off packages. "First dog was Jake. After he died, my parents got Hannah. Annoying little nipper."

"First kiss?"

That one came out of left field. Tex frowned at Danny. "Small town or not, that is a strange thing for a mailman to ask."

"Probably just looking for the name of a local girl," Eddie suggested. "Trying to throw you off."

"Or he's getting fed questions by someone else," Danny replied, suspicion forming. After a moment, he decided to test the waters. "Karen Myers."

"You have two minutes to turn around and leave before we start shooting!"

Danny tried again. "Tracy Mullens. That the answer you wanted?"

Eddie did a double take. "Isn't Tracy the girl that was always putting weird poems in your locker? You avoided her like the plague."

Danny shook his head, indicating for Eddie to wait. He might not have disliked Tracy quite as much as he claimed at the time. It had been his first crush and he had, predictably, handled it badly like most pre-teen boys. As the silence stretched, someone on the other side considering his response, suspicion crystalized into certainty. Mr. Will had not been the one to ask that question.

"You ready to talk to me yet, Caro?"


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Kara leaned against the door to the lobby, relishing the feel of the cool glass. Man was she hot. Last night she had slept better than she had in months, and she had woken up full of energy. Unfortunately, the burst hadn't lasted and now the waves of nausea were almost overwhelming. Forcing herself to head back towards the make-shift command center before Alisha sent out a search party to look for her, Kara decided to try to find Rachel on her next break and get something for her stomach. Maybe she'd have Rachel check out the baby as well. She (since, despite what Danny thought, Kara was convinced it was a girl) had been rather quiet this morning, only the occasional tap-dance on Kara's bladder. It would be reassuring to have Rachel tell her that everything was fine.

"Heard from Cobra," Slattery noted as she re-entered the room. "No problems in Norwalk. They are pushing north. Next check in thirty minutes."

"That's good news, sir," Kara replied. She was disappointed to have missed the check-in, the last one before Danny left for Cornwall. Not that they would have discussed anything personal, of course, but she had gotten very good at reading his frame of mind based on a few words over the radio.

Slattery gave her a hard look. "Heard you puking. Third time this morning. You eat anything?"

Kara sighed. The XO was nothing if not direct. "It didn't work out so well." The chocolate chip pancakes that had looked so amazing at the cafeteria this morning had been the first thing to come back up.

"Go see Doctor Scott. Everything here is running like clockwork. Besides, that sound is making me twitchy." Kara exchanged glances with Alisha, fighting back a smile despite how miserable she currently felt. Twitchy? As though sensing the question, the XO shuddered. "My wife threw up for nine months all three times. Makes a man thankful to be out to sea."

Normally Kara would have insisted on toughing it out, not wanting to receive special treatment, but right now she felt too awful to argue. Thirty minutes was plenty of time to get back before Danny called in again. "Thank you, sir."

Heading across the street, Kara hoped that whatever Rachel gave her kicked in quickly. She did not have time right now to be sick.

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"I'm thinking about it."

Danny swallowed hard, fighting back a sob of joy and relief at the sound of her voice. _Caro was alive_. Somehow, someway she had survived. And he had found her – or she had found him. He had another chance to make things right.

"Still pissed at me, I take it?" Danny called back, reverting to his typical half-flippant manner of dealing with Caro, sidestepping the emotional intensity of the moment.

"If you want to talk, Danny, you can come on over," Caro replied. "But no guns. And tell anyone else with you to head back down the road."

"Absolutely not," Burk responded instantly. "We have no idea what is going on and this whole question and answer thing is weird."

Tex leaned forward. "I'm with Burk. This isn't just scared civilians. There's something wrong here. You sure that's your sister?"

"Oh, that's Caroline all right," Cruz responded without hesitation. "And she's got a bee in her bonnet about something. No talking her out of it, though. She is the most stubborn woman on the planet."

"Let me talk to her," Danny insisted. He knew that he could get through to Caro with a little time. He just needed to figure out the situation, get a bit more information. "They won't shoot me."

But what if they did? Despite himself, he couldn't stop himself from remembering Kara on that morning in New Orleans, her eyes teary as she asked, no _implored_ , him not to leave her alone to raise their child. One of the rare moments when she had set aside the self-confident persona that she projected to the world and allowed him to see her fear, her worries. He could not allow his emotions – either about Caro or about Kara and the baby – to rule his head. He had to trust that Burk was seeing the situation clearly.

"No can do, Caro," Danny called back. Then he added, "Cruz here says that you are the most stubborn woman on the planet."

He looked over at Tex. "That should get a rise out of her."

But surprisingly, there was no response. Danny frowned, confused by the continued silence. Caro was not an indecisive person. Waiting, equivocating, vacillating, that had never been Caro's style. Of course, that was before the virus. Who knew what Caro had been through in the last year? No doubt she had changed, as had he.

"I heard Mr. Will. Anyone else with you? Dad? Tom? The Wards?"

"You think that's going to work on me?" Caro's voice was scornful. "Get me to tell you how many of us there are? Forget it buster. I've been down that road before. The military and all of their _help_."

Danny slammed his fist into the ground. The Immunes. They must have been through here, spreading their oh-so-effective propaganda. There was no telling what Caro had seen or heard, but something truly terrible must have happened for her to be this suspicious. The most sensible thing to do right now would be to turn around, head to Hartford via another route, avoid a confrontation, wait for word of the cure to spread here naturally. But this was his sister, his family. He couldn't just leave.

"You see anything Wolf?" Burk asked quietly.

"Looks like civilians," Wolf responded over the mic. "Four of them. Older man, two guys in their early twenties, and the woman – Green's sister, I take it. She has a pistol but the rest of them have rifles, probably designed for hunting. They're on a small hill slightly west. I don't see any lookouts. We could take them without any shots being fired. Sneak in, toss in a little smoke, and have them on the ground before they knew what hit them."

"Negative," Slattery's voice over the radio was firm. "President doesn't want any violence and no telling what you'll find up the road even if you take these guys out."

"Sounds like the Immunes have been here," Burk added. "Spreading their usual rhetoric."

"How long to go back south and around, Green?" Slattery asked.

Danny considered the request. "We can probably get back to Route 8 in forty-five minutes, then another hour or two north to Hartford, depending on whether the road is clear."

"Assume three hours. Sundown is around five thirty these days. That gives you an hour to talk your way out of this one, boys. Win the hearts and minds of America, right?" Slattery's dry voice made it clear just how much he agreed with the President's sentiment.

"So what's the plan, Danny-boy? These are your people." Tex looked at him expectantly.

"Wolf, circle around north if you can and check out the situation up the road," Danny ordered. "Cruz, cover him. Burk, go south, check on Miller and make sure we aren't getting blocked in. I don't want to get surprised."

"Looks like we have ourselves a stalemate," Danny spoke loudly this time, making sure that Caro would hear him. "Kind of reminds me of playing Risk when we were kids."

"You've never been good at compromise, Danny," Caro replied.

"Pot meet kettle," Danny retorted with a snort. He actually was very good at compromising. Just not with Caro. He had learned at an early age that any give with her somehow turned into complete capitulation. "Well, since it sounds like we might be here for a while, you going to tell me what you've been up to for the past eighteen months?"

"You first. I can't wait to hear of the heroism of Daniel Joshua Green. Saving the world since 1987." Caro's voice dripped with sarcasm. Ah, there was the old Caro.

Tex's eyebrows popped. "Damn, you are a baby. Not going to tell you what I was up to in 1987."

"We need to keep her talking. Only way to figure out what happened here," Danny responded quietly. Tex nodded. If there was one thing that Tex was good at, it was talking.

"Saving the world can be kind of tricky," Danny called out to Caro. "I got a few things right this year. And a lot of things wrong." He paused. "Reminds me, actually, I ran into Rebecca. She was in New London when we made port." He played with the idea of having Rebecca talk to Caro, but decided it was too risky. He didn't want Rebecca caught in any cross-fire, or doing something stupid like agreeing to talk to Caro face-to-face. "She was worried about you. Said that you two had been on the outs."

"Which is your fault, of course," Caro retorted, but Danny thought he heard a note of something else in her voice, relief perhaps, at learning that Rebecca had survived.

"She has you pegged," Tex tossed in.

"This is my boy Tex. Met him down in Gitmo earlier this year and he's been annoying me ever since. But I'll get to that later. Might as well start at the beginning. I assume the parents told you that I was assigned to the Nathan James." She had known. _See you on the flip side_. "What they didn't know, because I couldn't tell them, was that we were headed to the arctic to test a new weapons system. Well, the ship was anyway. My job was to babysit two scientists while they dug around in the ice looking for bird droppings. So a year ago I was in the arctic, no incoming communication, spending my days freezing my ass off on the ice and my nights dreaming about a lovely lieutenant named Kara Foster. Gorgeous, smart, funny, good with a gun. Pretty much the perfect woman."

"Do you have a point?" Caro interrupted, her voice exasperated. Danny's lip curled. Long rambling stories like their father used to tell had always annoyed her.

"Oh yeah. Back on point. Babysitting a doctor looking at birds? Most boring assignment of my life, I though. Until the day Russian helicopters appear and start shooting at us, demanding that we give them the cure. Because it turns out that Doctor Rachel Scott is not just some annoying ornithologist, but is actually the world's leading paleomicrobiologist. And our real mission in the arctic is to find the primordial strain of a virus that is currently killing half a million people a day, which the CDC needs to develop a vaccine."

"Did you find it?" Caro's voice wavered slightly. She was a nurse. He had known that she would immediately grasp the significance of their mission.

"She's moving closer to your location," Wolf whispered. "The others are following a bit behind her, keeping their distance. Road north looks clear for now. Cruz and I will circle around behind them."

"We did. Not that I had any idea what a primordial strain was at the time, or what was going on back here. Captain broke radio silence that day and I tried to reach you – you, Mom, Dad, Chris, anyone really. Nothing went through. We left the arctic, heading south, but we needed fuel. We were just off the coast of France, trying to refuel, when a nuclear bomb passed overhead, eviscerating Paris. We were running on fumes when we came across a cruise ship. No response to our hails so we headed over. It was a ship of death. Bodies everywhere, ravaged by the virus. We were on our way out when Frankie tripped. His containment mask came off. He'd been exposed. And I watched as my best friend blew his head off." He paused. Talking about Frankie was like being stabbed over and over again, the wound still raw.

"At least it was quick," Caro's voice was hard. "The Red Flu is an awful way to die. I'd take a bullet any day."

"Not sure that I agree with you, sugar," Tex tossed in. "I've been shot _and_ had the Red Flu. Can you say that? Anyone? Bueller?"

"Nobody survives the Red Flu." It was a man's voice, but not Mr. Will. They were getting through to someone, at least.

"I did," Tex said simply.

"This is Eddie Ward. I survived as well, both me and my boy."

Tex let that sink in for a moment. "Well, as the only person here with any basis for comparison, the Red Flu isn't so bad. Getting shot hurts like a son of a bitch. The virus? The rash doesn't really itch and the hallucinations were kind of enjoyable. The worst part was listening to Green's sniffling over Kara. 'Don't you dare leave me. You are not going to die, okay? You complete me.'" Danny gave Tex a look. Waaay too far. "I might have borrowed that last bit from Jerry McGuire, but you get the idea. Not what I wanted to hear while I was having a nice morphine induced dream about a certain temptress doctor."

"At least I didn't resort to bad James Bond jokes," Danny retorted under his breath, before raising his voice again. "But back to my story. We headed home to find Doctor Scott a laboratory, but nobody was responding. So she worked on the ship while we moved from place to place. Picked Tex up at Gitmo along with a bunch of equipment that Doctor Scott needed. Cruz has a nice scar from a run-in with some inmates there. We lost Bercham and Smith to the Russians. I almost ran the ship into some coral…."

"Skip ahead, Danny." Caro's voice was exasperated, and suspicious. "How did that man survive? Nobody survives the Red Flu. You're either immune or you're dead."

Burk reappeared, staying to the tree line as he made his way towards them. "Well, fast forwards a bit and Doctor Scott has it – a vaccine. We still had to test it, though. Six people volunteered – Tex and Kara included. But the vaccine didn't work. They all got sick. Really, really, really sick. Still, Doctor Scott is one determined lady. She refused to give up. And at the last minute she managed it. Using the primordial she found a formula that not only inoculates the healthy, but also cures the sick. Like Tex here."

"Did … Kara … survive?" Caro spoke hesitantly, her voice catching over the name of a woman that she had heard of only a few minutes ago. It felt surreal, the idea that Caro had no idea who Kara was, how much she meant to him.

"Sure did. Both her and the little Green parasite pulled through." Tex paused when nobody laughed. "Get it? Baby Green? A Green parasite?"

"If you have to explain the joke it isn't funny, Tex." Heaven help Tex if he said that in front of Kara.

"She was pregnant?" Caro sounded dumbfounded. And he couldn't blame her. If she walked out eight months pregnant, he would be completely blind-sided too.

"That was pretty much my reaction," Danny confessed. "Not exactly the news that I was expecting when the Captain walked out onto the flight deck that day. But continuing with my story. Now we have the vaccine but we need to find a lab where we can make and distribute it in large quantities. We were near Baltimore when we got hailed by a woman named Amy Granderson who, by chance, was the mother of one of the lieutenants on the Nathan James. She knew about our mission and had a lab we could use. Sounds perfect, right?"

"I'm going to guess that it wasn't," Caro responded.

"She's almost on the road," Wolf interjected.

"Of course not. I met them on the pier. Checked their identification and sent a bunch of them back to the ship. We all headed downtown to Mrs. Granderson's fortress. By the time we realized what she was up to – killing the sick and burning their bodies to power the city – her people had taken the Nathan James. But they couldn't find the primordial strain. Our doctors had hidden it too well. So Granderson decided to get clever. You know what a great way to re-engineer a vaccine is? Stem cells."

"Oh my God," Caro's voice reflected the horror that Danny could see on Eddie's face as understanding struck. "Did you save them?"

Danny stepped around the SUV, onto the sun-dappled road. Caro stood twenty feet away, her arm in a sling, limping as she took a step towards him. "Me save them? Nope. Kara pulled a hand free and stabbed the doctor to death with a syringe, then got herself out of the building with a little help from our good friend Tex." _Another time that Kara had been alone. Another time that she had been forced to save herself._ "She's not exactly a shrinking violet, and she doesn't like people messing with her family. So if your friends over there are thinking about shooting me, they may want to think twice, because she might just hunt them down."

"I thought that I would never see you again," Caro admitted, her voice shaking. "Dad's gone. He got sick early on. The Wards and Carltons are gone. There are only a couple hundred of us left. The looters keep picking us off. Nowhere is safe anymore."

His father was gone, then. Hearing Caro's voice had made him hope…. Not that he was surprised, but the news was still a blow. And Rebecca's and Eddie's parents as well. But Caro was here. He still had her. They were close enough now for Danny to see the tears rolling down Caro's face. She was filthy, her clothing covered in stains, blood seeping from the makeshift sling. She looked like she had been through a war – and maybe she had. He closed the last space between them, pulling her into his arms for a hug, gentle so not to jostle her injury. "I'm sorry. For everything."

Caro pulled back, looking up at him through tear-soaked eyes. "Me too. A baby? Really? Anything else you need to tell me about?"

"Later." Danny felt like he had been saying that a lot lately. "What happened to you?"

"Tom's people." Caro explained. "When I heard that Eddie was with you, I thought maybe you'd all crossed over."

"Tom's people?" It was Danny's turn to be feel mystified.

"I haven't heard from Tom in months," Eddie spoke, frowning, as he joined them on the road. "He'd been updating me on my folks and then all of a sudden there was no answer. I figured he was dead. I've been down in New London. I thought about trying to come up – look for my parents – but I couldn't leave my boy."

"A few months back a group came through, passing out supplies, offering to help. They wore uniforms – looked like standard army green. Something about it felt off to me. But Tom knew some of the guys. Said they were legit. We'd gotten close, spent a lot of time together since the quarantines were put in place. He used to say that he was taking care of me because that's what you would have wanted, Danny. That he was like a substitute big brother. I trusted him. But it was a lie. Two days after the men came through, half the town was dead and most of the rest dying. And Tom was gone. He left with them in the middle of the night. They come back every so often for food and supplies. Ran into some of them a couple nights back." Caro held up her bandaged arm.

Danny and Tex exchanged glances. "Immunes. We saw it in the south. They deliberately spread the virus to see who would get sick. But they were all supposed to surrender in exchange for presidential pardons."

"No, these guys aren't immune," Caro corrected. "At least I don't think they are. The water they were passing out was laced with rat poison – arsenic. They were just clearing us out. Apparently there is no room for the weak in the new world order. Tom pulled a few of us aside and offered to let us join them. He didn't take 'no' well."

Danny felt his jaw drop. They poisoned the town? It was horrifying – and unfathomable - that Tom could have participated in such a ghastly act. Waldron had been the ladies' man of their group, Danny the athlete, and Eddie the clown. But Tom, Tom had been the smart one. The guy that never had to study but always aced the test. The one who was always two steps ahead. Danny recalled how disappointed his father had been when Tom returned from college and got a job managing the local hardware store, rather than continuing on to graduate school. But Tom had seemed content. How could his friend have participated in the mass murder of a town, of people that he had grown up with? Disbelief dissolved into anger, as well as a sense of deep disillusionment. The Nathan James' mission was to save the world. But at what point was the world no longer worth saving?

"My parents?" Eddie's voice broke.

"I'm sorry, Eddie," Caro whispered. "I tried to save who I could. But it took me too long to figure out what happened and then we didn't have the right medication…."

At that moment, Mr. Will and two younger men stepped out of the woods. Danny thought that one of them was Ryan Stokes, a boy a bit older than Chris, but he wasn't sure. Wolf followed them a moment later. Caro jumped as he appeared, hand dropping to the pistol she had strapped to her thigh (a sight that Danny had never imagined – his sister carrying a gun). He beat her to it, palming the weapon. "Wolf's with me. No offense Caro, but your people suck at guard duty. Try looking behind you once in a while. How many people are you with? Do you have vehicles?"

One of the men behind Caro spoke. "About two hundred. We've been staying at the old strawberry barns. We have a couple vans and trucks, but not much fuel left. Do you know somewhere safe we can go?"

Eddie answered the question. "We were in Norwalk this morning and there was no fighting and plenty of supplies. That's your best bet if fuel is limited."

Danny nodded. The strawberry barn was about a mile northwest the way the crow flies, but longer by road. Danny mentioned to Wolf. "You and Burk head north, check the road to make sure it's clear. I'll take Tex and Cruz and head to the barn directly. Tex, grab the extra gas from the SUV." Danny tapped his microphone. "Cobra to base."

"Situation Green?" Commander Garnett's voice responded, startling Danny. In order for Garnett to be answered, the Captain, XO and Kara were unavailable – which most likely meant that something had gone wrong with the ground efforts. Danny exchanged glances with Tex.

"We're about twenty minutes north of Norwalk. Found survivors but they are in rough shape and are telling us about looters in the area. Plan to evacuate civilians south and then head towards the primary objective. May require support, ma'am."

"We'll have the bird on standby."

Danny turned back to Caro. "You have a way of contacting people – telling them to get ready to go?"

One of the men – Ryan? – nodded. Hearing movement in the trees, Danny raised his weapon, then lowered it immediately as Cruz appeared. "There you are. We're headed…."

But whatever Danny was about to say was completely lost when Cruz marched up to Caro and, to Danny's utter shock, leaned down to give her a fervent kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

"Did you just kiss my sister?" Danny sputtered, glowering at Cruz. And not a peck either. That had been a full-on embrace. And Caro hadn't exactly fought the man off. She looked remarkably composed about it actually, her cheeks only slightly pink.

Cruz shrugged, his eyes fixed on Caro. "Should have done that years ago."

"So _now_ you're over the whole 'bro code' thing?" Caro's retorted, rolling her eyes. "Figures."

Beside Danny, Tex started laughing. "If you could see the look on your face right now!"

"You detest Cruz! You refer to him as a lump of wasted brain matter." The world had gone topsy-turvy, and Danny was unable to wrap his head around the idea of Cruz harboring a secret thing for Caro. Or not so secret, since Caro seemed to be well aware of it. And not all-together opposed either.

"Fine line between love and hate," Eddie observed, a grin playing around the corner of his mouth.

"Honestly, Danny, it's none of your business," Caro snapped. "And we have other things to deal with right now. Ryan, do you have the radio?"

The other man tossed Caro one of Danny's old walkie talkie sets. As a pre-teen he had used them for elaborate paintball games played in the woods behind his house, later graduating to talking with Rebecca at night after the lights were out and his parents had confiscated his phone. Not the most secure method of communication. Despite feeling completely discombobulated by what he had just seen, training took over. "Don't say anything about me over an open line. Just tell them to get ready."

"It's me. We found the car – nothing to worry about. We're headed back. Get ready to move." Caro looked at him inquisitively. Danny nodded. She clicked off the radio. "Okay, let's go."

Danny frowned at her. "There's no way you are making it back through the woods on that foot. Mr. Will, Ryan, and …"

"Nick." The man held out his hand.

"…and Nick can go with us, get everyone packed up."

"Well I'm not staying here by myself!" Caro snapped.

Ignoring her, Danny spoke into his mic. "Miller, need you to pick up an additional package."

"Roger that, sir."

"Backup," he explained to Caro with a shrug. She narrowed her eyes, plainly annoyed at him for holding out on her, but saying nothing. She was obviously in rougher shape than she was willing to admit. Reaching into his vest, he pulled out the small case he kept there, sliding out one of the needles. He met her eyes. "I've been carrying these around for six months, since we found the cure." These weren't the original doses, of course. He had used them, at times, when they were running short, and upgraded the version he carried to include the contagious cure. But he had never left the ship without carrying four shots, the last spark of hope that he would find his family despite the long odds never dying. "Give me your arm."

"You should save them for the children." Caro stepped back.

"We've got plenty," Danny responded. "And they won't need shots anyway. Once you get the vaccine, you're contagious with the cure in about an hour."

"What? How is that possible?"

"I'll explain later." Grabbing her arm, Danny stuck her with the needle, then maneuvered Caro around the SUV still parked across the road to where Miller had stopped. Sliding open the door, he pushed Caro towards Rebecca. He heard both women gasp.

"You two catch up. We'll be back in a bit." Turning towards Miller, he added, "First sign of trouble you hightail it south. Do not wait for orders."

Without waiting for a reply, Danny headed towards the three men waiting by the trees, grabbing a gas can on his way by. Thank goodness they had refueled in Norwalk. "Anyone else want a shot before we go?"

Three shots later, the men were weaving their way through the trees, Eddie at point since he was familiar with the woods, Tex and Cruz bringing up the rear, Danny wishing that he had brought Halsey with them today. This type of mission was perfect for the German Shepard. Outside in heavy brush, his nose and ears were far better at distinguishing human presence from the sounds and scents of nature. But Danny had left the dog at the hotel this morning, anticipating that the next two days would be filled with driving and that Halsey could be better used by the teams that would be distributing the cure through Providence, searching for survivors. Besides, he liked knowing that Halsey was there with Kara when he wasn't, protecting her when he couldn't. He was even thinking about leaving the dog in Norfolk the next time he shipped out. He had spoken to Yates – since leaving the ship, as the highest ranking officer in Norfolk, the lieutenant had become something of the base commander – about getting a house in the area where the Chandler and Tophet families, along with a number of other navy families, were living. Kara had suggested staying with her mother and Peter temporarily, but Danny wanted them to have a house, a real home. Halsey would love it there – all the open space and children – and Kara would be safe. In addition to the presence of Jed Chandler, who had proven himself to be capable in a crisis, the SEAL team back at Norfolk kept a regular patrol in the area. Maybe there would even be time before the Nathan James headed out again for Danny to set up a nursery. If they could ever agree on a theme, that was. Kara hadn't thought his suggestion of sports or trains would work for a girl, and after his experience with Sorenson and the toxic teddy bears, Danny had been turned off any type of animal décor.

"Caroline said you served in Afghanistan," Nick spoke from behind him.

Danny was tempted to tell the man to shut up, that there might be hostiles in the woods, but he knew that Wolf and Burk were north of them and would be first to run across a problem. Besides, snarling at the younger man would hardly win him any friends. "Did two tours."

"And Iraq too?"

"Spent a couple months there."

"He's a bona fide war hero," Ryan added, his voice reverent. "You came and spoke when I was in high school. You were raising money to help a little girl over in Afghanistan that lost her legs in a bombing. I hope she's okay."

Danny remembered those speeches, given at his father's request. The first had just after he had just finished SEAL training, proud to have made it through the grueling process but still wet under the ears, excited for the missions, confident that at the end of the day he would be coming home again. The next time had been after his first tour of Afghanistan, where he had lost friends, brothers-at-arms, and seen some of the worst of humanity (although nothing compared to what he had experienced since). He had been days away from returning to the States when his team had responded to a bombing at a nearby village. The village had been destroyed. He could still remember the frantic screams of children, the eerie silence from the center of the blast where people were beyond help. And then a father had charged at them, carrying the broken body of his daughter, begging them to help her. Their medic had patched her up and they had transported her to the nearest hospital, but the doctors had been unable to save her legs. He later learned that she had also lost her mother and two younger siblings to the carnage. Back in the States, his team had worked to raise the money for her medical care and to allow her village to rebuild. They had even managed to have the location added to the route the Red Cross travelled distributing vaccinations and other basic health care. Danny had been proud of the donations that poured in from Cornwell, his hometown coming together to support a little girl half the world away.

So much had changed since that day. Even a year ago, Danny would have assumed that Nick and Ryan could never understand what that little girl had gone through, what Danny had seen and done during his tours of duty. But they had lost as much – if not more – than he had. Two hundred people, Nick had said, two hundred people remained in a town of three thousand. The remainder killed not just by the pandemic, but through a horrific act of intentional violence. Nick and Ryan understood pain and horror and suffering as well as he did. Maybe more. They had seen friends and families die a painful death, their own lives reduced to days spent foraging for food and supplies and nights spent sleeping in a barn in an attempt to evade not just the virus but also those who took advantage of the lawless world. By contrast, Danny (for the most part) spent his nights in the relative comfort of the Nathan James, knowing that Kara was never more than 509 feet away, his wife and child as safe as possible in this insecure world. And yet, Ryan still remembered that little girl in Afghanistan.

"Me too." Danny stopped to look at Nick and Ryan. They looked so young, too young to have carried the responsibility handed to them. "What you did today – coming out here, protecting the people in that barn – was incredibly brave."

"Nothing like what you have done," Ryan mumbled, embarrassed.

Danny smiled. "There is nothing more honorable than taking care of others. You did that. And it makes you heroes in my book."

"Cheers to that!" Tex chimed in. Danny smiled as the two younger men stood up a little straighter, invigorated by the praise, their confidence boosted. It was only a few more minutes before they broke through the end of the woods, heading into a field of corn. Danny smiled at the sight, remembering the conversation of the day before. Kara one, Rickman zero. As they neared the barn, Danny held back, allowing Nick and Ryan to precede him so that the appearance of strangers did not startle anyone. As they entered the building, Mr. Will in the lead, the bustle of movement stopped as people eyed the new arrivals with suspicion. Danny stared around him. The barn had been turned into a tent city, a combination of actual tents and sheets hung around stalls, clothing, blankets and food spread everywhere.

"Everyone listen up!" Mr. Will called out. He motioned for Danny to join him on a small platform to the side of the door. Danny thought he heard his name a few times, but as he looked out into the crowd, he was surprised by how few faces he recognized. Mrs. Taylor, his eighth grade math teacher, a woman whose name he couldn't remember who worked at the library, Elijah Staub (who owned the barn they were standing in), the Methodist minister. The majority of the people standing before him now were younger, closer to Chris's age than his own, with several young children darting around the crowd. In his mind, Cornwall never changed, but it had been a long time since Danny had lived here. Enough time for a generation of children to become adults, apparently. "Most of you probably recognize Danny here, but for those who don't, he's Mark and Joanne Green's son, Caroline's brother. That's his team over there standing with Eddie Ward. They came here looking for us. They're going to help get us all out of here."

"Where's Caroline?" Someone called from the crowd. It occurred to Danny that his presence, along with Eddie, might not be reassuring. Anyone that knew him was aware of his friendship with Tom, and would have the same reservations that Caro had expressed. Ignoring the rage that bubbled up at the thought of Tom, Danny focused on the job at hand.

"Caro's back at the rendezvous point," Danny replied. "Her leg is in bad shape and needed some medical attention so we're getting our doctor to patch her up. The road south is clear right now. We'll take you all to Norwalk. There's no fighting there and you can get food and medical care."

"And we can get you the cure to the Red Flu," Eddie added. "Got a video here of how it works."

A murmur swept the crowd, then people began pushing in the direction of the small screen that Eddie was holding. Danny smiled wryly. It was a deception that they had used more than once, having someone contagious with the cure hold the video, thereby spreading the cure to people as they crowded close, without them even knowing. Although Danny had mixed feelings about the ruse, given the blatant lack of consent from those being exposed, practicality and expedience usually won the day. If Danny made a point of putting Mr. Will, Nick and Ryan in separate vehicles on the way south, chances were that everyone in this barn would be immune before the convoy even reached Norfolk.

In less than twenty minutes, everyone was ready to go, the vehicles stuffed to the brim with people and the few possessions that couldn't be left behind – photo albums, cell phones, a few toys and heirlooms. Nick and Ryan had helped Cruz gas up the trucks and vans (a job Cruz had volunteered for, obviously not entirely impervious to Danny's glowering glances in his direction), and Danny hoped there would be enough to get them all the way south without having to siphon any more gas. Danny made one final check with Burk and Wolf. "How's the road?"

"All good," Burk replied. "No road signs here, but we're on Route 7 near a building with a large moose head on the front."

Danny chuckled. "It's the fish and game club. Says so above the door."

"I had no idea you were such a hick," Burk tossed back.

Motioning for Cruz to head out, Danny swung up on the back of the first truck. "Cobra to base."

"Base here." It was Commander Garnett again. Damn it. Danny bit his lip to stop himself from demanding to know what was happening on the base. He had to trust that there was an innocent reason for the Captain, XO, and TAO to all be unavailable. If the base had been attacked, he assumed Garnett would have recalled Cobra, the timing of their mission not critical. The most likely explanation seemed to be some sort of medical emergency requiring the Captain and XO, both universal donors, to give blood while Kara assisted Doctors Scott and Rios. Still, Danny couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"We're heading south. Cobra will break with the convoy at Route 7 and head towards the primary objective, checking for additional survivors on the way. Vulture will take the convoy south, then loop back north. ETA for primary objective is two hours."

"Any hostiles reported?"

"Nothing yet, ma'am. Should know more once we get a few clicks north, we still have a lot of tree cover here."

"Roger that. Base out."

It took only a few minutes for them to reach the juncture where Wolf and Burk were waiting. Danny waved the remaining vehicles past, Eddie jumping off the back of a truck as it passed. Tex would grab the SUV that they had abandoned before their trip through the woods and swing back to meet them with Doctor Morrison and Rebecca in about twenty minutes. Cruz and Miller would join them again after escorting the survivors down to Norfolk. In the meantime, Cobra would clear Cornwall. Danny half hoped that they would run into Tom's gang of mercenaries, wanting nothing more than to look his former friend in the eyes as he demanded answers for what had happened here.

"This way," he directed, nodding towards Burk and Wolf, and heading up South Main Street (there was no real point to road signs when everyone knew the name of the street). The silence was deafening, the only sign of life a dairy cow wandering down the middle of the road near the Stillwell Farm. A quick search of the house determined that nobody was there, the family gone (or dead), and remainder of their herd probably eaten. The houses grew closer together as they headed towards the center of town. Danny had searched more homes than he could count in the past few months, checking for survivors or supplies, and he was used to the unnatural quiet, the staleness of the air, the dust that covered every surface. But searching homes of people that he knew was different, images from the past flitting through his mind at every turn. A livingroom where he had attended cub scout meetings, a family room where the soccer team had gathered after each match, the backyard firepit where he'd had his first drink. Some of the houses had been plundered, but most had the feeling that someone had simply closed the door and never returned. The old mustang that Eddie and his father had restored after his return from Afghanistan, struggling mentally and physically, still stood on blocks in the neat garage. Danny watched as Eddie gathered a few photo albums, then left his home without a word. Rebecca's house had been locked, the spare key still hidden under the third stone paw print stone. She had made it only to the doorway before retreating to the SUV, the grief of learning, for certain, that her parents did not survive still too fresh. Danny had gathered some pictures and her mother's jewelry for her, packing them into a bag for Rebecca to look at once she was ready.

At Tom's house a foot of fallen leaves and debris filled the pool the boys had swum in every day as teenagers. Upon returning to Cornwall after college, Tom had moved into the apartment above the garage, close enough to look after his single mother while still having his own space. Danny and Burk tore through every inch of the place, looking for any indication of who this new enemy was, but the apartment looked no different than a thousand other homes, a pile of newspapers in the corner, a half-done crossword puzzle on the table, a small radio and solar crank next to the window. There was nothing to evidence what Tom had done, or who he had done it with.

At the town library, a towering building built in 1896, birds had made their way inside through several broken windows, nesting in the pages of the books. As a child Danny had come here at least weekly as his parents dragged him to various community events – circle time when he was younger, lectures and book signings as he grew older. At the time he had hated it, wanting nothing more than to be outside, feeling constrained inside the quiet walls. But now the memories were sweet, taking him back to a time before all of the devastation, all of the turmoil, of the last year. It felt wrong leaving the place as it was, allowing the birds to continue their destruction, but there had been no time to cover the holes in the shattered glass.

Finally they approached his parents' house, on the very north end of town, passing by the century old cemetery. Bulldozers stood at the ready, followed by rows up rows of fresh graves, standing out brown against the dying green grass, crosses stuck in haphazardly, small torn pictures nailed to them. A half mile beyond the cemetery, up on a hill, stood the home he had grown up in. Approaching the porch, Danny noticed the smashed windows and bullet holes in the door. Inside, the house was in shambles; nothing like the cozy, well-maintained home that he remembered. Clothing and books had been thrown everywhere. The piano was smashed. Cabinets open and doors broken. His father's office, always so orderly, was covered in ripped paper and leaves. The last time Danny had seen his father was in this room, the older man rambling enthusiastically about the colleges that they had visited with Chris and the high school football team's chances at the state championship (a passion that Danny's mother viewed with extreme disapproval). Danny rested his hand on the desk for a moment, playing the moment over in his mind, trying to remember every second. But the memory was already fading, only his father's impassioned face remaining clear. Checking his own room, Danny was unsurprised to find it filled with beds. Rebecca had mentioned that his father and Caro had turned the house into a safe zone, and the only remainder of his presence in this room was the planetarium that still hung from the ceiling. Pulling down the small globes that he had made so many years ago with his father, Danny tucked them carefully into a bag to take with him.

Stepping outside, Danny's gaze passed over the empty chicken coop, the over grown garden, the ragged flag still hanging on the porch, his mind not ready to accept what his eyes saw. Last night when they were talking, Rebecca had confessed that she imagined returning to Cornwall and finding that nothing had changed, like a fairy tale. He had brushed off the comment, but now he realized that in a deep, hidden place in his mind, he had hoped the same. That Cornwall's location in a rural corner of the state, far away from any major roads, of no significant strategic value, would have protected it. But that had not happened. Cornwall was a ghost town. His house was destroyed. His father was dead. Caro on her way south. His mother and Chris lost, perhaps forever. There was nothing left for him here.

His home was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

"Who is it?" Kara asked Bertrise, unable to see out the window from the hospital bed that she was currently stuck in, an IV drip hooked to her arm, belly band across her stomach. Before leaving, Rachel had given her strict instructions not to get up unless she needed to use the bathroom. Kara hadn't argued, despite the momentary panic that had gripped her.

"Lieutenant Nishioka's team," the teenager answered, settling back into the chair she had been occupying for the last four hours, not quite meeting Kara's eyes.

"Will was on Nishioka's team today if I recall correctly," Kara replied with a slight smile. "Why don't you go down and say hello?"

Kara watched the blush spread across Bertrise's face. A bond had developed between the two women during the vaccination trial – as it had with all those present – and Kara had come to see Bertrise as the closest thing that she would ever have to a little sister. She had enjoyed seeing the relationship between the teenager and the young ensign grow, both of them taking things slowly due to Bertrise's age, as well as the restrictions imposed by the realities of life on the Nathan James. Recently Bertrise had confessed that Will had kissed her, both elated and abashed by her first experience with physical desire. Kara couldn't help but think back to her own first brush with love, a serious young man named Lucas McIntosh who went to a rival high school. They had dated for her senior year, after having met at a track meet, before breaking up when they left for college. At the time, Kara had been devastated, totally smitten with Lucas's big blue eyes, blond curly locks, and athletic build. Not unlike a young Danny Green would have looked, Kara realized with amusement.

"I can find him later," Bertrise replied quickly. She picked up the cross-stitch that she had been working on.

"Are you sure?" Kara pressed. "They may have news of the Captain and Doctor Scott."

Earlier that afternoon, the Captain had succeeded in making contact with someone in Massachusetts claiming to represent "the New Massachusetts alliance" and requesting a personal meeting with Doctor Scott to discuss distribution of the cure within their "territory." Kara hadn't been present at the time, already stuck in this bed, and had received her information second-hand, but she had no doubt how Captain Chandler would have viewed such an invite. He had left thirty minutes later, accompanied by the XO, two teams pulled from their primary mission in Providence, as well as a number of locals including Officer Rickman. Even so, Kara had been surprised that the Captain allowed Rachel to accompany the group at all, given how protective he had become since the incident in St. Louis, but Rachel had presumably given him little choice. In many ways Captain Chandler had met his match the day that Rachel Scott arrived on the Nathan James.

"Perhaps I'll go check then," Bertrise finally agreed. "I won't be long. I need to finish this before the baby arrives. Well, not the name, of course. It will go on the top, right here, once you decide."

Bertrise had been working on a cross-stitch for the baby's nursery (assuming they ever set one up), an intricate picture of the moon rising over the rainforest, a monkey sleeping on a tree. Kara had been nervous when she first saw the pattern, worried that Danny would associate the image with Nicaragua. Thankfully he had understood that this was meant to be Jamaica, Bertrise's way of sharing a piece of her heritage, her life before the Nathan James, a time that she rarely mentioned due to the painful memories.

"It's lovely, Bertrise. This child is so lucky to have so many people that love her – or him – already."

Bertrise left the room after making sure that Kara had a bucket within easy reach. Kara had no desire to throw up on herself – again. Taking a deep breath, she fought against the tears that she felt welling in her eyes, her hand creeping down to her belly. Had it really been only this morning that Danny had left, headed towards Cornwall? It seemed like years had passed since the moment that Kara headed towards the hospital to find Rachel, intending only to be gone for a few minutes, just long enough to get something to calm her stomach.

 _Kara caught Rachel on the second floor, leaving the room of one of the sicker patients, an elderly man suffering from diabetes that had been untreated for the past several months as medication ran short._

" _Kara," Rachel said, surprised. With Cobra Team, as well as several other ground teams, out in the fields, Kara typically stayed close to base to coordinate any necessary assistance. "I didn't expect to see you here today."_

" _Actually, I'm here to ask you if you have anything that I can take for my stomach," Kara admitted. "I keep throwing up. Commander Slattery says the noise is making him twitchy."_

 _It took Rachel a moment, but then a smile crossed her face. "Well, that's a new expression for me. I'll have to remember it. We can talk in here."_

 _Kara followed Rachel into an empty hospital rooms, the most recent occupant having been released that morning. "I felt fine when I woke up but since breakfast nothing will stay down. The baby has been quiet as well." Kara knew a note of worry had crept into her voice when Rachel immediately pulled out her stethoscope. She perched nervously on the edge of the stripped bed._

" _Babies can be tricky little creatures," Rachel replied smoothly. "I'm sure that your little one is just taking a nice long nap."_

" _There we go. Strong and …" Rachel's smile suddenly changed to a concentrated frown, her voice fading out._

 _Kara's breath caught. "Is something wrong?"_

" _How long have you been having contractions, Kara?" Rachel's voice was calm but her face was serious as she set a hand on Kara's bulging belly and checked her watch._

" _Contractions?" Kara was caught completely off guard. "Like those twinges? I thought contractions hurt." Like in television shows, were the woman in labor was always screaming bloody murder._

" _Not right away. Plus, women react differently to labor," Rachel explained. "Nausea can be one of the first signs. Your body's way of dealing with pain."_

 _After a few minutes of silence, Rachel checked her watch again. "About eight minutes apart."_

" _That's bad, right?" Kara met Rachel's eyes directly._

" _A lot of things can bring on labor at this point. Dehydration, overexertion, sex," Kara hoped that she wasn't blushing right now, she and Rachel were not_ _that_ _close, "changes in hormones. Any number of things really. Let me grab the ultrasound machine and we'll take a look."_

 _Kara had taken the time to pop down the hall and have the guard on duty advise the XO that she would be gone a little longer than anticipated and to locate clean sheets for the bed._

 _When Rachel reappeared a few minutes later, pushing an ultrasound machine, she had Doctor Taka, one of the local physicians, with her. Kara had met the man the day before and was aware that, as an emergency room doctor with more than twenty years of experience, Doctor Taka had far more familiarity with pregnancy than Rachel did. Still, Kara couldn't help by feel wary, the events in Baltimore still too fresh in her mind for her to be comfortable with a strange doctor. But Rachel, being Rachel, had anticipated her reaction and O'Connor appeared at the doorway, back to them. Although O'Connor was technically assigned to Rachel's protection detail, she generally left him at the entrance to the building once it had been cleared, insisting that having a guard follow her around scared her patients and the other doctors. The only reason for him to be here now was for Kara._

" _Doctor Taka has kindly agreed to consult with me," Rachel explained. "As you know, my experience in this area is somewhat limited."_

 _Although Rachel had delivered her share of babies while working for Doctors Without Borders, it had been in war zones where prenatal care and medication to stop pre-term labor were unheard of luxuries. It had only taken a minute to set up the ultrasound machine and connect the belly monitor designed to track any contractions. Kara relaxed as the baby formed on the screen, his or her hand in mouth, sucking a thumb, the heartbeat sounding strong. But Doctor Taka's friendly manner became more serious as he watched the strip of paper coming out of the monitor._

" _How far along are you?" He asked, the question directed to both women._

" _Thirty-five week gestation is based on original confirmation of HCG in the system consistent with a pregnancy of six to eight weeks," Rachel responded, saving Kara from the embarrassment of going through the possible timeline. Kara still found the idea of discussing her sex life – even with a doctor – to be embarrassing at best._

" _HCG is not the best indicator of date of conception," he responded. "Did you perform a first trimester ultrasound?"_

 _Not Rachel. Doctor Hamada. For an instant Kara was back in the examination room, her hands and feet bound, watching the needle approach her stomach as her baby wiggled on the screen. The next few minutes were blurry in her mind, her entire focus having been on getting herself free and out of that hell of a room. After her escape with Rachel, Kara had managed to hold it together until Danny appeared at the tunnel entrance with the Master Chief and Alisha. The second that Danny had pulled her aside, knowing without being told that something horrible must have happened for her to be at Avocet, Kara had started shaking. Unable to find the words to explain what Doctor Hamada had planned to do, she had simply blurted out "they tried to take the baby." The suffocating embrace that Danny had given her, despite the presence of the Master Chief, had told her how badly the news had shaken him._

 _Rachel didn't go into detail, however. "Consistent with a range of thirty-four to thirty-six weeks."_

" _We should perform an amniocentesis to check lung develop…"_

" _No!" Kara didn't wait for the man to finish his statement. There was not a chance in hell that he was getting anywhere near her baby with a needle. Taka paused, apparently taken aback by the ferocity of her response, his eyes going from hers to Rachel's and back again. Kara forced herself to speak calmly. "I don't like needles."_

 _The man nodded, accepting her answer. "I'd suggest a magnesium drip to stop labor, as well as a steroid series for the lungs since gestational age is not confirmed."_

And Rachel had agreed. Which was why Kara was sitting her, stuck in this bed, the magnesium giving her a pounding headache. Just then there was a perfunctory knock at the door and O'Connor's head appeared. "Doctor Taka to see you, Lieutenant."

Leaving the door open, O'Connor ushered in the doctor, turning so his back was to them. The doctor frowned at the armed man. "Should you be here?"

"My orders are not to leave anyone alone with Lieutenant Foster, sir," O'Connor replied evenly. Kara wasn't sure if it was Rachel's doing, or the Captain, but O'Connor's presence had been a comfort over the last few hours. Doctor Taka apparently did not feel the same way. She wondered what Taka would think if he knew that she had her service pistol stashed in the drawer next to the hospital bed – just in case.

After greeting her, Doctor Taka focused on the strips of paper that the machines had been steadily putting out, his expression serious. Kara bit down on her lip as the silence stretched. Unable to wait any longer, she blurted, "It's not working, is it?"

"The magnesium has slowed but not stopped your contractions and the baby isn't responding well," Doctor Taka explained. Flipping the strips of paper for Kara to observe, he pointed to several spikes and dips. "This is the baby's heart rate. As you can see, it's decelerating with each contraction. That could mean that the cord is compressed."

Panic gripped Kara. "Can you do something to fix it?"

"Our best option is still to stop labor," the doctor explained. He smiled at her in what she assumed was supposed to be a reassuring manner. "If we can't stop labor, given the fetal distress, we may need to perform a c-section. Nothing to worry about, thought. I've had babies out in less than five minutes and you are far enough along that the baby will be fine, especially with a full treatment of the steroids. It's a waiting game at this point. Giving those steroids as much time as possible to work."

Kara nodded, unable to form a single word as the doctor left, her head spinning, the words "fetal distress" echoing through her mind. While she was alone, Kara allowed a few tears to escape. She couldn't contemplate the possibility of losing this baby now, not after everything that they had been through – the virus, Baltimore, the missile attacks on the Nathan James. She felt like she was failing her – or him – her body trying to eject this child too early. She had never imagined giving birth like this, in a strange city, no home to return to, nothing ready. Kara didn't even have anything for the baby to wear – assuming that she would have a few weeks in Norfolk to take care of such things. And she hadn't known how hard to do this alone. She had never expected Danny to be there for this baby's birth, but right now she would give anything to see him walk through that door, to pick up her hand and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

The door opened again and Kara brushed the tears off her face as Andrea and Alisha entered, both carrying large bundles. Bertrise followed them, a broad smile on her face.

"We thought you might want some company," Andrea explained. "Doctor Scott said you were going to be here for a bit. She's on her way. Just finishing up the Captain."

"Have you heard from Danny?" Kara blurted out the obvious question.

"Green had just made it to Hartford and they were about to clear the hospital when I left the hotel." Andrea replied after confirming that the door to the hallway was closed. "He located his sister. I spoke with her, actually. She had a run into with a group of military types a couple months ago. Captain thinks that they might be connected to this 'Massachusetts alliance' and wanted a bit more information, but the woman refused to give Miller any particulars, insisting on talking to 'someone more qualified.'"

"Danny says she's stubborn as a mule," Kara murmured, the tears threatening to fall were happy ones this time. Danny had found Caro.

"You may have your hands full for the next eighteen years. I get the impression that tenacity is a Green family trait," Andrea said with a laugh. "Captain Chandler says he'll patch you through later tonight, once the team is settled. And before you start arguing, Green's a smart man. I'm sure he's figured out that something is going on. No point keeping him in suspense."

Kara couldn't speak around the lump in her throat so she just nodded. Talking to Danny, even for a moment, would make this all so much easier.

"Brought you something more comfortable to wear," Alisha spoke up. "And I grabbed a laptop so we can listen to some music. Maybe watch a movie later. Oh, and I planned to give this to you once we got back to Norfolk but I thought you might need it sooner." Alisha set a tiny "Navy baby" onesie on the bed before Kara.

The tears that Kara had been holding back flowed over as she stroked the tiny outfit. Kara reached out to grasp Alisha's hand, eyes locked on Andrea. Danny might not be here, but she wasn't alone. Her family was here. "Thank you. Thank you all."


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

The sun was setting as Cobra pulled into the parking lot of Children's Hospital in Hartford. They had spent longer at the Massachusetts border than anticipated, shocked to find a no-man's land had been created between the two states, the trees bulldozed down to form a clear line of sight and deter anyone attempting to cross. On the far side of the clearing, Danny could see patrols, as well as wire fencing, giving it the appearance of a prison. He and Wolf had checked the border at four different spots, adhering carefully to Commander Garnett's orders not to be seen, and found the same conditions. There were definitely people here – people that must have heard the Nathan James' broadcasts – raising the question of why they had chosen not to reply. Were these people part of the military group that Tom had joined? The remainder of the Massachusetts National Guard? Immunes?

Danny looked up at the large red Xs that had been sprayed across the exterior walls of the hospital. The building looked intact, at least. As the SUV halted near the entrance to the dark building, Danny saw Caro reach for the door.

"No. You all," he indicated her, Rebecca and Doctor Morrison, "need to stay here until we clear the building." Danny had been less than impressed to see Caro when Miller and Cruz caught up to the rest of the team twenty minutes ago. Miller had stumbled all over himself to explain why she wasn't down in Norwalk where she should be. Cruz had just shrugged, not trying to offer an excuse. _"She wanted to come and if we left her she just would have followed us. Our options were to take her to New London or bring her here."_ Danny couldn't disagree with the assessment. If Caro wanted to come to Hartford, she would have found a way to do so, a little thing like an order from her brother not getting in her way. Still, he would have preferred if Cruz hadn't been smiling as he spoke, a little too pleased with how the situation turned out.

"Which floor is the lab on?" Burk asked.

"Third floor, towards the back. Behind the construction signs. The wing wasn't open yet," Rebecca answered, her voice quaking. She was pale, her eyes large with shock, obviously traumatized by what she had seen and heard in the last few hours. She gripped Caro's hand tightly.

"This shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes," Danny said, trying to reassure her. He glanced at Caro. Someone, probably Rebecca, had rewrapped her arm and fixed the sling, and it looked like she had washed her hands and face. Caro's eyebrow rose, looking at him defiantly.

"Go. We're fine."

Closer to thirty minutes had passed before they finished clearing the building, the task made more difficult by the setting sun and the number of rooms that needed to be cleared, many filled with the corpses of those who had perished here. The pharmacy had been ransacked, of course, as well as the cafeteria and gift shop. As they pushed through the plastic sheets that separated the area of new construction, Danny was relieved to see that the area looked relatively untouched. The air was better there too. In the back, large boxes mixed with various equipment, some of which Danny recognized as similar to that in Doctor Scott's lab. It appeared that they had hit pay dirt.

Danny took the time to move the corpses from the entrance and stairwell, Burk and Cruz helping, as well as washing his hands, before heading back to the SUV. But even so, Rebecca's reaction to the destruction of the hospital had been difficult to watch, her tears when she entered the building and saw the damage that had been done, the hand she brought abruptly to her mouth as the scent of death hit her, the growing comprehension in her eyes as he blocked the entrance to the staff offices. Her reaction reminded him of how he felt on the cruise ship, the first time he had encountered the virus, and how immune he had become to the horror. Thankfully Caro had taken charge, grabbing Rebecca by the arm and pulling her towards the stairway, murmuring something in her ear that Danny couldn't quite catch. Caro hung back for a moment, allowing him to catch up.

"Where did you stash the bodies?" Her voice was calm, as though she was asking him whether it was raining. How had this become the new normal for all of them? When had he ceased to see people and begun to see only corpses? When had Caro? Misunderstanding the reason for his pause, Caro added, "I had to go over to Memorial for medicine. I saw what it looked like. You don't need to shield me."

"The cafeteria," he replied finally. "The third floor smells better. We broke a couple windows to let fresh air in."

There was a short pause, then Caro gave him a sad smile. "You can be a good guy, Danny."

"I'm waiting for the punchline," he responded with a laugh. But Caro just shook her head.

"I mean it." Caro shook her head, her lips pursing. "I don't tell you that stuff because it's weird. You're my brother for crying out loud. But you are. And I'm glad that you found someone that makes all of this a little more bearable. I'm curious to meet her. Kara."

Danny smiled as Caro said Kara's name. She said it slowly, as though trying it on for size. "So you and Cruz, huh? Wasn't expecting that."

Caro rolled her eyes. "What did you think I was doing in Lejeune? You and Rebecca would disappear for hours and I'd be stuck hanging out with the guys. Frankie was a total stick in the mud, pissed about Rebecca being there, and Bercham couldn't keep his hands to himself even though he was married at the time. Cruz was the only acceptable alternative. So we hung out."

Danny considered her words, embarrassed to realize that he had never actually considered what Caro was up to on those visits, too focused on Rebecca during the little time that they had together, assuming Caro was capable of taking care of herself. "Just don't tease him, okay? He's been through a lot the past few months."

Caro gazed at him thoughtfully before starting up the stairs with a flounce. "Haven't we all."

By the time they arrived on the third floor, Doctor Morrison had already begun examining the equipment. He turned towards Danny. "It's all here. We even have some of the original boxes, which should make it safer to transport."

"Cobra to base."

"Status Green?" Danny felt a bit of relief when the Captain responded. Kara would have been his top choice, but at least the Captain answering was within the norm.

"Primary objective has been accomplished. Looks like everything is here. We'll load at first light. Everything set for the distribution tomorrow?"

"Lots of radio chatter," Captain Chandler responded. "You should get a decent turnout. May not be the crowd we want, though. XO and I had an informative meeting with representatives of the 'New Massachusetts alliance' this afternoon. Their rhetoric was a bit too Granderson for my comfort. They seemed a little _too_ interested in our plans to distribute the cure."

Well, that did explain where the Captain and XO were this afternoon. But what about Kara? There was no way Captain Chandler would have taken her with them. "Think we'll have a problem, sir?"

"Not sure. XO will be there by 0800 with backup. He can fill you in on the details." Danny was about to signoff when the Captain continued. "I need to talk to Green alone."

A cold chill ran down Danny's spine, and for an instant he was back on the Nathan James on that hot, windless day during the vaccination trial, watching the Captain walk across the deck towards him, knowing that his presence could not be good news. Certain that Kara was dead. His eyes met Burk's, watching as the man pulled out his earpiece, his expression serious. Putting his hand up to his ear, as though that would somehow make the news easier to bear, Danny turned away from the group, walking towards the far wall, squaring his shoulders. Behind him he thought he could hear Caro arguing with someone. A quick glance showed Burk blocking her way, his arms crossed firmly across his chest, no give in his position.

"I'm alone, sir."

"I thought you should know that Kara's in labor." Danny leaned a hand against the wall. He had _known_ something was wrong earlier, damn it. But he had thought that they had weeks left, another month. And the Captain wasn't done. "The baby is not tolerating it well. Doctor Scott may need to perform a c-section."

A c-section. Chris had been born by emergency c-section, and Danny remembered how hard the recovery had been for his mother. No climbing, no lifting, no driving, no exercise. How could Kara even get back on the Nathan James if she couldn't climb steps? Would she – would they – be stuck in New London for weeks (because there wasn't a chance in hell he was leaving her and a baby here)? How would they get home to Norfolk?

"Is she okay?" His voice hoarse.

"She's holding up." The Captain's voice remained gentle, calm, compassionate. Danny wondered if the Captain had been on the other end of a call like this once upon a time. "I'll try to patch you through if you're ready."

"I'm ready."

It took a moment for the connection to go through.

" _Danny?"_ Kara's voice sounded husky, her breathing choppy, as though she wasn't getting enough air. He suspected that she was crying. He took a deep breath, wishing more than anything that he could pick up her hand.

"Hi sweetheart. I heard that peanut is giving you a bit of trouble."

"A bit but we're okay." The labored sound of her voice didn't match the words. "Rachel tried to stop the contractions, but this baby apparently decided that today was the day and is not backing down. I've changed my mind, by the way."

"About?" Danny felt lost.

"This is definitely a boy. A girl would never be this much trouble."

Despite himself, Danny laughed. That was Kara for you. Alone, in labor, and making him laugh. "We can have a girl next time."

"About that, all of that talk about another one? Forget it. You can sleep on the couch for the next twenty years."

"The couch, huh? I can work with that. Much better than the cold storage locker. It was two days before I thawed out." He smiled as he heard her laugh. "Is Rachel there with you?"

"We're having a girls' night here," Kara replied. "Andrea, Alisha, Rachel and Bertrise are keeping me company. They stepped out so we could talk."

Not for the first time, Danny marveled at the tight bonds that Kara had built with the other women on the Nathan James. "I wish that I was there."

"You'll probably be back hours before the baby arrives. I got a shot for the baby's lungs around 1300. Doctor Taka- he's one of the emergency room doctors here – wants to give it at least twenty-four hours to work." They both knew that she was lying. Cobra wasn't scheduled to leave Hartford until 1400 tomorrow afternoon, and then it would take another couple of hours to get back to New London.

Danny hated the idea of Kara in a strange hospital, relying on some unfamiliar doctor, even if Rachel was there as well. "I'll get there as soon as I can. I love you. Both of you."

"I love you too. Don't worry about us. We're fine."

Smile fading as soon as the radio clicked off, Danny kicked the wall, his steel toed boot cracking the plaster. He had never expected to be there when the baby was born, assuming that he would be back on board the Nathan James. But now that the moment was here, he realized how much he wanted to be with Kara right now, holding her hand, wiping her forehead, making her laugh. He wanted to see this child born, to cut the umbilical cord, to count tiny little fingers and toes, to see Kara's face when she held their baby for the first time. To have something normal – something joyful – in this bizarre world that they now lived in.

A moment later Burk stepped into his range of vision, propping his shoulder against the wall, waiting silently. They had been here before. The first night of the vaccination trials, when Burk had sat with Danny until the early hours of the morning. The night after Ravit's wake, when they had stayed up all night on the deck. A friendship based on knowing when to talk - and when to stay silent.

"She's in labor."

Burk nodded, holding up a deck of cards. "Texas hold-em or 7-card draw?"

"7-card draw." Turning, Danny realized that Tex had pulled a table from the corner and arranged some boxes for chairs. Cruz and Miller were missing, presumably on first watch. Caro sat in the corner by Rebecca, her arm around the other woman. For the second time since they had arrived at the hospital, Danny thanked his lucky stars that Caro had bullied Miller into letting her come to Hartford. There was no way he could deal with Rebecca right now.

"Cold storage locker, huh?" Burk said, shuffling the cards. "I hadn't considered that."

Danny couldn't help the smile that played across his mouth as he remember those heady early days in the arctic with Kara, getting her alone every chance that he could, nothing to worry about except getting caught in a compromising position. Not that everything had changed since then, Danny acknowledged, he still couldn't keep his hands off of her. "Did I say something about the cold storage locker?" he replied deadpan, causing Tex, Eddie and Burk to laugh as they settled into the game.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny stared up at the sky. It was amazing how bright the stars were with no light pollution, almost as bright as they had been in the arctic. He and Kara had met out on the deck late at night sometimes, snatching a few moments together before the frigid cold drove them back inside. Danny looked in Caro's direction, although he couldn't see anything more than the outline of her body in the dark. "How did Dad die?"

"We had been taking people in at the house but there wasn't enough room. You know Dad – he couldn't turn anyone away. So he opened up the school. But someone got exposed. Dad stayed to take care of them. And got sick, of course." Caro paused. "The last time I talked to him was through a second story window. He told me to stay put. To wait for you. He was sure that you were coming."

"I should have come back earlier," Danny replied, his fists clenching. "Maybe I could have saved—"

Caro cut him off. "Maybe. But what about Kara and the baby? Dad wouldn't have wanted you to leave them."

That was true. Danny's father had been devoted his life to his family – to his children. Mark Green had been everything that a father should be – loving, patient, fun, enthusiastic. His favorite holiday had been Halloween, and there had been a contest in the Green house every year to see who could come up with the most creative costume. (Danny's all-time favorite was the time Caro went as a bag of jelly beans, the balloons popping with every step she took.) Mark had attended every dance recital and sports event, cheering his children on relentlessly no matter how badly they performed. He never complained about the constant stream of children or teenagers that could be found inside the house watching television or playing games, or outside playing paintball, instead often surprising them with pizza or snacks.

Mark had been everything that Danny wanted to be as a father, and he would have been overjoyed to learn that his son was starting his own family.

"When I think about what you went through. What Tom did." Danny's voice shook with anger. "I might have been able to stop it."

"Or you might be dead," Caro pointed out. "You can't save everyone, Danny."

For a moment, Danny tried to imagine what might have happened if he and Kara had left the Nathan James the first time it made port in Norfolk. How different his life might have been. How different things in Cornwall might have been. His father might be alive, for one. But he wouldn't have been in Florida to stop Niels from conducting his "experiments" with the teddy bears. He wouldn't have been in New Orleans to help pull those people out of the water. He wouldn't have been with Slattery to help sink the Ramseys' sub. It was impossible to know what would have happened if he had been here instead.

"What's she like?" Caro asked after a few minutes. "Kara."

Danny paused, a thousand images of Kara tumbling through his mind – her standing in CIC, hands on hips, as she passed out orders – in casual clothes, hair loose, eyes laughing – the cute gap in her teeth when she smiled – her concentration as she did her daily exercise routine – the way she pulled her arms into her sweatshirt when she was cold – her head against his shoulder as they watched old Battlestar Galactica episodes – her and Alisha giggling together as they shared a joke – the way she rubbed her stomach absently when she was thinking – the tears in her eyes when she saw her mother in Norfolk – the way her eyes darkened when they were kissing – the cheeky grin that appeared when she was teasing him – the anxious expression she had worn when he had first woken up from Dengue Fever.

"She's tough."

That apparently was not the answer Caro was expecting. "Tough? That's the best you can do?"

Danny tried to explain. "She's this little thing, but when she gives an order, you don't question it. She's confident. She trusts herself. And she doesn't pull any punches. She has no problem calling someone out – calling me out. When she messes up, she takes her lashes, and she expects everyone else to as well. She doesn't back down."

"You mean she doesn't need you to take care of her," Caro replied.

Danny laughed mirthlessly. "No, Kara can take care of herself. She always has. Her mother, well, she's struggled, and her father died before Kara was born. Kara doesn't even have a picture of the two of them together. I know that bothers her. I think that might be the only thing that really scares her – the possibility of being left to raise the baby alone."

"Rebecca said that the two of you were married. Because of the baby?" Caro's voice was curious, non-judgmental.

"Yes … and no." Danny's lip twisted. "I know that's what everyone thinks. Pretty sure that's what Kara thinks. And I probably would have waited if it wasn't for the baby. It's funny. I never really understood how you could make a snap decision about something important. I thought that you were being stubborn – refusing to change your mind because that would mean you screwed up. But that's how I felt – how I still feel – about Kara. Almost from the moment we met, I couldn't imagine my life without her. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her."

"She's in labor," Danny admitted after another pause. "That was what the Captain wanted to tell me."

"But you're still here," Caro replied, her voice neutral.

"Mission comes first. We already broadcast a call for everyone to meet at the stadium tomorrow, and I need to be here in case it all goes south. That's the job."

Danny waited for the lecture that he was certain was coming, but Caro surprised him. "The last time I saw you, I said that you had never made a decision in your life – that's why you joined the navy. So someone would tell you what to do."

"I remember," Danny commented dryly.

"I thought about that a lot the last couple of months, especially after Tom was gone. Every time I turned around, there was a decision to make. Big ones, of course. Where to stay and who to trust. But also constant little decisions - who to send on patrol, how many bullets we could spare for hunting, how much water we could drink in a day, where to check for food. And my decisions didn't impact just me. They impacted everyone. When I made the wrong decision, people went hungry or got hurt or died." Caro's voice dipped to a whisper. "You make those decisions every day. Like now. You could leave tonight. But you stayed because those people tomorrow need you, we need you. I get it now."

Danny reached out and rested his arm over Caro's shoulders, hugging her to him as they sat silently until the first rays of sunlight passed over the horizon.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N - I borrowed a line from scousedancer in this chapter. So thank you for that!_

CHAPTER 15

At 0800 sharp, Danny stood in the parking lot of the hospital, waiting for Slattery to arrive with Vulture team and a few volunteers from New London to boost the number of contagious cure carriers present at the stadium. They had finished loading the equipment thirty minutes ago and Danny was currently in the process of wiring Rebecca with a microphone, in case she was separated from the group. He gave her an assessing look. She looked like she was about to be sick, or maybe pass out. He knew that she had barely slept last night. He had heard her tossing and turning, suspecting that she had been thinking not just about her parents, but also her former colleagues, many of whom had probably died in this building.

"Maybe you should head back with the equipment. You look pretty shaken."

Rebecca squared her shoulders. "You aren't sending Caroline away."

"Caro can take care of herself," Danny responded. "Besides, she wouldn't go. Did you miss the part where I told her she couldn't come in the first place? Lot of good that did. I think she's fundamentally incapable of obeying an order. She never would have survived in the navy."

Rebecca smiled slightly. "I'm good. I can do this." Danny gazed at her uncertainly. If there was a problem at the stadium, he didn't need anyone panicking unnecessarily. Apparently sensing his thoughts, Rebecca gave him a mulish look. "I've spent the last year watching people die and there was nothing that I could do. Today I _finally_ have a chance to save people. I am not leaving."

Danny nodded slowly. He _could_ order her south with the convoy. Slattery would back him up and Rebecca wasn't Caro, who would fight him tooth and nail. But after all of that time in New London, caring for the sick, the dying, making decisions of who to save, didn't Rebecca deserve this moment? "Make sure to stick close to Miller, just in case."

It was only a few more minutes before Slattery arrived, swinging out of the truck he was riding in, a grin on his face. "Morning boys. Ready for a little excitement?"

"And here I thought we were going to the copacabana," Tex joked. "What are we expecting anyway, boss?"

"The Captain and I met up yesterday with a group calling themselves the New Massachusetts alliance. They claim to control the state west of Boston. Doctor Scott tested their blood and these people are _not_ Immunes." Slattery let that sink in. "Instead, they appear to be taking advantage of the current lack of leadership to establish their own territory. Their operations mimic military – they probably have some former members in their ranks – and their motus operandi is to eliminate anyone they deem expendable to preserve spare resources. We aren't expecting an assault. They don't seem to have those numbers. It's more likely to be an attempt to cause panic, perhaps a small explosion or passing out contaminated food or water."

"They used arsenic in Cornwall. It's a slow acting poison. People might not get sick until days later." Doctor Morrison noted.

"Which is why we need to stay on alert at all times," Slattery confirmed. "We cannot have this turn into another situation like New Orleans."

Everyone considered the XO's words silently. Coming on the heels of the Immunes' misinformation campaigns, another situation where civilians were harmed, apparently at the hands of the United States Navy, would be disastrous. As the teams began to form – several of the men that came north with Slattery would be heading south immediately with the equipment that Doctor Milowsky needed for Solace – Slattery pulled Danny aside. "You look like crap."

Danny couldn't dispute the statement. He had changed his shirt and washed up best he could with the bottled water they were carrying, but two days spent travelling, climbing through the woods, and then moving equipment (and bodies) had done a number on his vest and pants. And lack of sleep probably hadn't helped. "Showers are out of order."

Slattery barked out a laugh. "I figured that out from the smell. You're ripe."

"How's Kara doing?" Danny needed to know, but still dreaded the answer.

"Her water broke a couple hours ago," Slattery replied, confirming what Danny had feared. "You ready to be a daddy?"

"Where you there when…" Danny began but stopped, unsure whether Slattery would want to discuss his children, given that they were either dead or missing. It felt strange, asking his senior officer something personal, but there was no one else he could talk to about this. Danny – and Kara, of course – were the first of the junior officers to have a child and while Danny trusted Tex with his life, the man had definitely made some mistakes when it came to fatherhood, mistakes that Danny had no intention of replicating.

"Only for Lucas. I was out to sea when the girls were born. It's a tough thing. Missing the birth of a child. But the first time you look down at that little face – whether the baby is a minute old or a month old – you want that moment to last forever. It's indescribable." Slattery's expression was far away. "Just stay focused and you'll be there soon enough."

Danny had learned from the near miss at Gitmo. It was the reason that Burk and Miller would be shadowing Caro and Rebecca as they moved through the crowd, and he had assigned himself to a location across the stadium. It was the reason that he had separated Cruz and Caro, not wanting to put the man in a compromising position. He had gotten used to blocking Kara out on regular missions (for the most part), secure in the knowledge that she was safe on the Nathan James or at home base, surrounded by others. But right now it felt impossible to stop his mind from wandering over and over again to what was happening in New London, how Kara was doing, whether the baby had made an appearance yet. He knew how dangerous such a lapse could be, not just because of Gitmo, but also because of what happened at Lomas Point. Once he had seen the guns, the smoke rising from the Nathan James as she barreled into range, his only thought had been to take out the Immune leader before he could fire. To save Kara and the baby. He had been sloppy, and he had taken a bullet for it. It had been luck, not training, that saved his life that day. He could not count on being lucky again.

"I don't know if I can do that, sir." The second that the words were out of his mouth Danny wished that he could grab them back, not wanting disappoint the man (again), to have Slattery lose faith in him. But Slattery surprised him.

"I read your record before you boarded the Nathan James. Found it was pretty funny that you barely passed your skiing qualifier and were leading a team to the arctic," Slattery snorted. "Later it wasn't so funny, when we found out just how important Doctor Scott was. So why do you think your team – you – were handpicked to guard the most important woman on the planet? Do you think it was because of your piss-poor skiing?"

"My team was the most qualified winter warfare team, even with me on it," Danny responded, his voice sardonic. It was embarrassing how badly he skied, despite going to the mountain regularly throughout his childhood, and the guys had never let him forget it. Bercham, especially, had been a natural on the snow. He had grown up in Colorado and considering going pro before enrolling in the navy instead. Even Frankie, a SoCal boy who had never been on skis before joining the military, had taken to it easily.

"Your team. Let that sink in for a minute. You were the weakest man on that ice, never would have been there on your own merit, but your team compensated for that. Together you were the strongest team. We all have our weaknesses – I certainly do. I piss off Commander Garnett on a regular basis. But that's why we work as a team – to compensate for each other. The key is to recognize your weaknesses and trust your teammates to pick up the slack. That was your biggest screw up at Gitmo. Not trusting the team – not giving us the information that we needed to compensate. Pretty sure everyone here knows that you aren't at 100% today. That's okay. We can handle it."

Danny blinked. That was the thing about Slattery. Underneath that tough exterior, there was a genuinely thoughtful guy who made an appearance every once in a while. "Thank you, sir."

"Besides, you aren't missing much," Slattery added, slapping Danny on the back. "Lot of crying. And screaming. First mom and then baby. Nobody enjoys that part. Plus, babies are kind of red and wrinkly when they first pop out. They look a lot better after a couple of hours."

Fifteen minutes later, they were headed towards the stadium. Several crew members were dressed in street clothes, the better to blend in with the gathering crowd. As they approached the entrance, Danny could see hundreds of people gathered even though it was only 0830. He had mixed feelings about a large crowd, given the circumstances. More people meant the cure would be spread further and faster. But it would be easier to create a panic, as the Immunes had done back in Missouri.

Four hours later, most of his concerns had been abated. Despite the sizeable crowd, the scene had been well-ordered, people happily spreading the contagious cure. The atmosphere felt almost like that of a concert, people milling about chatting and swapping germs, and there had been nothing that smacked of sabotage. But the peacefulness was abruptly shattered by Caro's voice in his earpiece. "He's here! The bastard is here!"

Following on that exclamation came Burk's voice. "Pursuing unknown male suspect. Headed towards the entrance to the locker rooms."

Cutting across the field, Danny saw a man pushing his way through the crowd. As he moved in the direction that Burk had indicated, Danny caught a glimpse of the man's face. The reason for Caro's fury was immediately evident. It was Tom. Tramping down his own anger, Danny relayed the information to the remainder of the team. "It's Tom Bakewell. Assume additional suspects are on premises. Tex, Rowler, you know what to do."

Yesterday he had shown the team a picture of Tom, one that he had snatched off a shelf at Tom's apartment. It was a picture of the four of them – Tom, Eddie, Waldron and Danny – from some event years ago. They had their arms across each other's shoulders in the shot, laughing at the camera. Unable to look at the image, Danny had ripped up all but Tom's face before passing it around.

He got to the entrance to the underground portion of the stadium just in time to see Caro tangling with Burk. "He's in there! Let me go! I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!"

"Caroline, enough!"

Apparently the use of her full name was sufficient to get her attention. She turned towards him, spitting mad, but her eyes were teary – he wasn't sure if it was from fury or anguish. "You can't let him get away!"

"We won't, but you need to stop getting in the way and let us do our job before someone gets killed." Caro stopped struggling, his words sinking in. "Tex, you in position?"

"Locked and loaded." Came the reply. Tex and Rowler's job had been cut off escape via the back entrance. "They left a kid here to watch the door. He looks about ten. Took us all of three seconds to incapacitate him."

"Miller, you watch her," Danny pointed to Caro. "Wolf, Burk, on me. Flush them towards Tex."

"Everyone stay sharp," Slattery added. "Could be a distraction."

"Roger that," Danny replied as he stepped into the darkened entrance. They had cleared the bowels of the stadium when they first arrived this morning, checking for survivors as well as scouting for possible threats, and found nothing but the occasional rat and plenty of spider webs. Although the stadium had been a safe zone, it had evidently been abandoned early on, the red Xs prominent everywhere they looked. Danny snapped on his LED light. He hated giving away their position, but it was incredibly dark here, the majority of the rooms fully underground with no windows and none of them were carrying night vision gear.

The three men moved seamlessly through the corridors, Danny on point, until they had cleared all of the locker rooms, leaving only the storage rooms and offices for their quarry to be hiding in. Rounding the corner into the last hallway, Danny's only warning of another presence was a slight shift before gunfire erupted. Danny's left arm exploded with pain as he barreled back into Burk.

"Son of a bitch!" He hissed as the pain ebbed. Wolf pulled him back further from the corner.

"How bad?"

"Just a graze," Danny said, his head still ringing. "There were at least two. Flashbang."

With a curt nod, Wolf tossed the flashbang around the corner, barely letting the smoke clear before he followed, Burk on his heels, Danny now bringing up the rear as they flushed Tom and his friend - or friends - towards Tex and Rowler. Ten agonizing minutes passed as they pushed the men closer and closer to the only exit. When they had reached the final stretch, Danny spoke quietly into his mic, "Now would be a good time, Tex."

The door on the far end of the hallway swung open, illuminating several men along the long hall. Taking advantage of the sudden confusion, Wolf, Burk and Danny rushed forward as Tex and Rowler advanced from the opposite direction. "Drop your weapons!"

It took only a few moments and a flurry of shots before the men realized that they had no escape and one by one set down their weapons. Danny's eyes were immediately drawn to one face in particular. Tom. The man looked gaunt, pale, a shadow of his former self. He walked silently towards the entrance, not looking at Danny again after a first, stunned glance. While Tex and Wolf swept the compound again, checking for anyone that might have been missed, Danny and Burk herded their prisoners outside, where Slattery was waiting. Danny's eyes shot to Caro, expecting her to make a beeline for Tom and do, well, something, but her eyes were glued on him. Glancing down, he realized that his sleeve was soaked with blood.

"Through and through," he explained, shrugging, as Rios headed in his direction.

"So any of you assholes going to tell me what the plan was here?" Slattery demanded, eyes intent on the five men before him, one limping from a bullet he had taken to the lower leg. They looked young – nobody older than thirty – and the guard that Tex had taken out was definitely still in his teens. The men exchanged glances, nervously shifting, but nobody spoke. When the silence stretched, Slattery snarled, "Separate them. We'll take them south with us."

Danny knew what Slattery was doing – divide and conquer – and the senior officer was very, very good at this game. But Danny couldn't let it go at that. Tom had been his friend. Danny needed to know, not so much what he had done (because he had seen enough of that), but why he had done it.

Motioning for Rios to wait, Danny headed towards his former friend, staring at the man until Tom's gaze rose to his. "Why?"

"I wanted to live." The answer was so simple, so straightforward, but explaining nothing.

"But you just needed to hold out a little longer. We had the cure." Danny knew his voice betrayed his bafflement, his hurt.

"Oh, and then what?" Tom snarled. "Do you think this magical cure solves everything? Winter is coming. How are these people going to eat? Where will they live? What happens when some other sickness comes through? Where will you be then?"

"So your solution was to kill them? People you knew! Your friends!"

"They wouldn't have made it anyway!" Tom shouted. "They were just using up valuable resources. Food, water, supplies that the rest of us needed!"

Danny stared at the other man. Tom _believed_ what he was saying. He'd drunk the koolaid. He was no different than one of Granderson's people, willing to lose his humanity, to turn against his own, to do anything to survive. From the corner of his eye, Danny saw Burk approaching.

"You'll never understand why," Burk spoke softly, the two men watching as Tom was led (or rather pushed) towards the truck. "That's the difference between us and him. There are some things you just don't do. No matter what. Like those teddy bears."

Danny swallowed. The damn teddy bears. He had blown their cover – and almost blown the mission – that day, unable to stomach the thought of those infected bears getting into the hands of a child. But they had all understood – the team, Slattery, Chandler. There were some lines that could not be crossed, no matter the reason. Burk was right. Danny would never understand why Tom had crossed that line. Nothing that Tom said would make any difference.

Burk waited with Danny while Rios stitched him up, the two men lost in their own thoughts until Tex swaggered over to their location.

"There you are Papa Green! Thought you might need these more than me." With a wink, Tex tucked a package of cigars into Danny's vest pocket. "How's project get-daddy-home-before-mama-pops-out-a-baby going anyway?"

And with that, all thoughts of Tom were replaced by much the more important consideration of how quickly Danny could get things at the stadium wrapped up and get himself down to New London.

Four hours later, the jeep that Danny was riding in finally arrived at the temporary base. Danny didn't bother waiting for the vehicle to come to a complete stop before jumping out, sprinting across the street, slowing only long enough to ask Brewer (who was currently guarding the hospital entrance), where Kara was. He reached the second floor a moment later, using a little too much force to push the stairwell door open, slamming it into the wall and causing everyone up and down the hallway to glance in his direction. Halfway down the corridor he saw O'Connor, who raised his hand in greeting. "Here, sir!"

Slowing down so as not to plow anyone over, Danny headed towards O'Connor, his heart pounding. As he stepped through the door, Danny took in the scene before him in an instant. Commander Garnett was holding Kara's hand tightly as she lay propped on the bed, covered in blankets, Doctor Scott and a strange man dressed in scrubs standing by the foot. But his focus was Kara, her face hidden behind an oxygen mask, beads of sweat covering her face, her hair damp and plastered to her neck. Their eyes met and Danny could see her relief. He had made it. Then she groaned, hands tightening on the rails of the bed. He lurched forward, wanting to do something to help, but Commander Garnett blocked his path.

"Not a step closer, sailor! Not until you clean up!"

 _Damn_. Danny glanced down. If he had looked like crap this morning, he now looked like hell, the dirt and sweat that had accumulated throughout the day augmented by the blood covering his sleeve and splattered on his pants. And he still stunk. No wonder the doctor standing next to Rachel looked ready to throw him out. It probably looked like an armed grizzly bear had just burst into the room.

"There you are Danny," Rachel smiled at him, her voice as soothing as always. "Just in time to greet your child. There are some scrubs, as well as some water and disinfectant, in the corner. I suggest that you change and clean up as quickly as you can."

Danny dropped his gear mindlessly in a pile, for the first time in his life not taking the time to sort everything out properly. Yanking off his boots, he stepped into the flimsy white jumpsuit (he assumed that Rachel hadn't wanted him to drop his trousers), zipping it up to his waist before pulling his shirt over his head. Danny began to scrub his face and arms with the disinfecting soap, ignoring the sting as he washed the blood off of his arm.

"It is yours?" Kara croaked. He turned, realizing that she was watching him, pulling her oxygen mask to the side to ask the question.

"It's nothing. Just a bleeder. Doc Rios got me stitched up." As he spoke, Danny finished zipping up the jumpsuit and reached forward to grasp Kara's hand, pushing her damp hair away from her face and leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here."


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

"I can see the head, Kara," Rachel's voice was encouraging. "Just a few more pushes."

Gasping, Kara barely heard the words, her entire body trembling with exhaustion. The only thing she could focus on right now was Danny's face as he stood over her, grasping one of her hands, Andrea holding the other. Danny was saying something ludicrous like "breathe through the pain" – _as if he any idea what she felt like right now_ – but she wasn't listening. If she had the energy, she would have told him how adorably ridiculous he looked in the surgical scrubs, hair sticking out in all directions. Tightening her grip on his hand, she wished that she could draw on his strength. She wasn't sure she could do this anymore.

Something of her exhaustion and desperation must have reached Danny because he leaned down, their foreheads meeting. "You can do this, Kara. I know you can. Don't give up now, sweetheart. You're almost there."

Somehow it was just what she needed, his words, his presence. Pulling on the last of her reserve, Kara pushed through the next few contractions until, suddenly, miraculously, the pain and burning abruptly stopped as the baby finally emerged.

"Would you like to cut the cord, Danny?" Rachel asked, smiling, as Kara collapsed backwards onto the bed.

For a few seconds Danny stared down, not speaking, a stunned expression on his face. Kara pushed herself up on her elbows, panicked. "What's wrong?"

"It's a girl." Danny looked at her, his eyes glistening with tears. "We have a little girl."

 _A girl_. She had known it was a girl, despite what Danny said (and her comments last night). Kara felt herself smirking. It took only a moment to cut the cord and then Rachel gently set the baby down on Kara's chest. "Congratulations mommy and daddy."

Kara stared at the infant, her tiny, squished nose, the thick dark hair that was matted to her head, the curve of her cheek looking so similar to her daddy. Gingerly Kara reached towards one of the little hands that had been punching her for months, and the infant opened her brilliant blue eyes, her tiny fingers wrapping around one of Kara's. Tears spilled onto Kara's cheeks as she gazed in amazement at the tiny human that she and Danny had made. "Hello Frankie," she whispered.

Her eyes rose to Danny and she could see that he was crying too, his larger hand coming down to cover hers and Frankie's. In that instant, they were the only three people in the world.

"She's beautiful," Danny said. "Just like her mama."

Rachel cleared her throat, bringing them back to the present. "Frankie? That is a lovely tribute."

"It's short for Francesca," Kara explained, smiling as her eyes sought out Andrea, standing by the door, giving the new family some privacy. "Francesca Lillian Green."

Kara watched the Commander's eyes tear up. Silently she conveyed her thanks to the woman that had lent her so much support over the last few months as Kara's life – and the world around them – erupted in turmoil.

"I'm just going to take her for a moment to check her breathing," Rachel said after a few moments. Kara watched anxiously as Rachel scooped up the infant, but she carried Frankie as though she had done it a thousand times. Frankie, on the other hand, was not impressed with Rachel's skills, her eyes popping open and her little face scrunching as she began screaming, the sound only growing louder and more pronounced as Rachel and Doctor Taka took turns listening to the infant's lungs and checking her reflexes.

"Her lungs sound fine to me," Andrea commented dryly.

Doctor Taka laughed, expertly slapping a diaper on the newborn before swaddling her in a blanket and popping a tiny pink cap on her head. Mason and Nishioka had been diverted from their primary mission this morning to take Bertrise "baby shopping" for various staples that Rachel insisted could not wait for Norfolk. "I agree. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Green. We'll want to watch the baby for a few days, just in case, but for now she's breathing well on her own and that's the biggest concern."

"She's a good size too," Rachel added. "Six pounds, two ounces and nineteen inches long."

"Babies of this gestational age sometimes have suck issues," Doctor Taka added. "So we'll also keep an eye on her weight.

As he set Frankie back down on Kara, the howling stopped, the infant instantly recognizing her mother and beginning to root for food. Kara laughed, recalling Doctor Taka's last words. Frankie was apparently already an overachiever. She looked at Andrea questioningly.

"Just hold her like a football and point her head the right way. She'll figure it out. It's just like a valve, you need a tight fit," the older woman explained. Apparently noticing the pinched look that crossed Danny's face, Andrea added, a bit of challenge in her voice, "I am, after all, the only one here with any experience in the area. And that generally wins the day."

"Yes, ma'am." Danny's response was instant. Commander Garnett was not someone to mess with. Kara giggled, her eyes meeting Danny's momentarily as she shifted the baby somewhat awkwardly into position.

"We'll give you some time alone," Rachel said. "When you are ready, there are some people outside who would like to hear your news."

For a few minutes the room was silent as they both stared down at the baby nuzzling up to Kara. Then Kara reached up to smooth down Danny's hair and cup his cheek. "Thank you."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Shouldn't that be my line? You did all of the work."

Kara smiled at his, despite the exhaustion that was pulling at her. "Thank you for being here."

"I'm not going anywhere," he replied, his tone solemn. "This – you and Frankie – is my priority."

"I don't know how this is going to work...," Kara began, but Danny cut her off.

"Let me handle it." He grinned at her, the sexy smile that she loved so much, leaning down to give her a soft kiss. "For once, let me take care of everyone."

Kara opened her mouth to argue, but refocused on Frankie's face. This wasn't about her anymore, or even about her and Danny. This was about their family now. She would trust Danny to figure it out.

After a few minutes of peaceful silence, watching the baby that had drifted off to sleep, Kara spoke again. "I should have a robe in that bag. Then we can have visitors. You know Tex is out there thinking of a hundred excuses to knock on the door."

Fifteen minutes later, Danny swung the door open, a smile splitting his face as he waved them all in. "Everyone come meet Francesca Lillian Green – Frankie."

Kara was surprised as the room quickly filled up. Tex was there (predictably, he had entered first, carrying a large bottle of scotch that he gave to Danny), as well as Bertrise and Alisha. But Burk, Cruz, Miller and Wolf had also been waiting, along with Will Mason and Danny's friend Eddie. Even O'Connor was poking his head in, a strangely familiar woman standing next to him. A moment later, Kara realized that this must be Danny sister, a woman that she had seen only in blurry cell phone shots, since Danny had never been one for printing out pictures to put on his locker. The woman hesitated at the door, perhaps unsure of her welcome. Kara had to admit that it was strange to have a sister-in-law that she had never met, or even talked to.

Andrea was the last person into the room. "Ten minutes _only_. Then Kara needs to rest."

Leaning down to peak at the infant, Tex kissed Kara on the cheek. "Congratulation darling. She's beautiful. Despite her father."

Kara was still laughing as Alisha bent down to give Kara a tight squeeze. "Do you want to hold her, Auntie Leisha?"

No need for a second invitation there, Alisha scooped up the child. Kara felt tears smarting in her eyes as she watched her friend cuddle with Frankie. Late last night, Alisha had confessed her fear that she would never have a child of her own, the technology that would have made the undertaking possible only a year before now one of the many benefits of modern life that had effectively disappeared overnight. Kara hoped that Alisha's fears were just that - fears - and that someday their children would play together in the backyard.

Burk, Wolf and Miller declined to take a turn holding Frankie, but Cruz acquiesced, holding the infant fairly naturally. For a second, Kara thought that he was looking towards O'Connor and Caroline Green, but she realized he must have been looking at Miller when he added, "You owe me twenty bucks, pal."

In a few minutes, the only people left in the room were Danny, Kara, Frankie, Andrea and Caroline. Stepping past the other woman, Andrea left, adding "Remember what I said last night, Kara", as she shut the door behind her.

"Kara, this is my sister Caroline." Danny's voice trembled a little, and Kara could feel the emotion behind the words. In the last two days, Danny had come home, found his sister, lost his father, and had a daughter. Kara looked back and forth between the siblings. They shared only a superficial resemblance – the same eye color and general complexion – but from everything that Kara had heard, Danny and his sister shared more than a few personality traits.

"Caro," the other woman corrected. "I decided that I like it better."

"Would you like to hold your niece?" Kara asked, tilting the baby in Caro's direction. But to her surprise, Caro shook her head in the negative.

"First things first," she explained, pulling a cell phone out of her pocket. "We need a picture of the three of you together."

Kara glanced at Danny, her eyes filling with tears (again, damn it!). He must have asked Caro to do this. To make sure that Frankie – that Kara – had a picture of them together. Something that she had never had growing up, his way of making sure that the cycle that had formed Kara's life from the very beginning would not be repeated. Danny leaned down to give her a kiss, before sliding his arm around Kara and smiling for the camera. A moment later, the picture taken, Caro came closer to admire the baby.

Then, raising her eyebrows at her brother, Caro leaned down to loudly whisper to Kara. "Do you think he had any idea how ridiculous he looks in that outfit?"

Laughing, ignoring Danny's fake sputtering, Kara smiled at Caro. She was certain that they were going to get along very, very well.


	17. Chapter 17

There is a reference to Blackshade379's story "How Danny and Kara started" in here. Thank you for the idea!

CHAPTER 17

Danny woke abruptly, confused about where he was for an instant. Then the door swung open and Lopez's head appeared. "Doctor Taka, sir."

"Let him in," Danny replied wearily, sitting up on the cot that he had wheeled into Kara's room last night, trying to clear his head. He checked his watch. 0500. Slattery had been right about the lack of sleep. And not just because of Frankie. The infant had slept surprisingly soundly. But between the feedings, the visits from the doctors, and the beeping of the various machines in the room, Danny didn't think he had gotten more than an hour of sleep at a stretch all night. He glanced at the bed beside him. At least Kara hadn't woken up. Rachel had given Kara something for her headache before leaving last night and it had knocked her out.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Doctor Taka said quietly as he walked over to the bassinet where Frankie was sleeping. "I just wanted to check her breathing."

"Training," Danny replied ruefully. How many times had he heard that a sleeping soldier was a dead soldier? He watched as Doctor Taka unwrapped Frankie's blanket to listen to her lungs, shocked at the stench that immediately assailed him. "Dear lord, what is that?"

Doctor Taka chuckled. "It's meconium. It is actually a good sign. It means little Frankie here is clearing her bowels."

Gagging, Danny walked over to his daughter. "You, missy, smell worse than I do right now! And that is saying something."

One of the biggest inconveniences to being on land was the lack of showers. Commander Garnett and her team could power the buildings with generators, but running water and sewer required a more permanent power solution. The last time that Danny talked to Yates, he had heard that Norfolk had running water again, the water and sewer plant powered by rigging one of the empty destroyers that was sitting in port to the facility.

"Don't worry, this only lasts a day, maybe two." Doctor Taka explained as he pulled open the drawer next to Kara's bed where they had stashed the diapers and wipes. The doctor froze, his attention caught by something, then glanced at Danny. "I suppose I should thank you for tucking it out of sight, at least."

"That one is Kara's," Danny replied, assuming that the man was talking about the pistol Kara had stashed in the drawer. Wolf had taken Danny's gear with him when he left yesterday, one of the few times in his life that Danny had trusted someone else to clean and stow his equipment. But he hadn't wanted to leave Kara alone, not right away, and some of the things that he had been carrying should not be left in an unlocked drawer. It took Danny a minute to realize that the other man was still standing there, staring down at the gun. "The safety is on. It's not going to go off if you pull out a diaper, I pinky swear."

"It's not that." Doctor Taka replied thoughtfully as he passed Danny the package of wipes. As he started trying to clean Frankie off, Danny wished he had a hose. Frankie looked like she had exploded. It was _everywhere_. "I talked to Doctor Morrison earlier. About what you found up north. I thought that things were bad here, but after talking to him…." The man took a deep breath. "When I first came by to see your wife, I thought the guard at the door was overkill – the sort of military protocol that never made sense to me. Now it appears that Mrs. Green felt the need to keep a gun next to her bed, in addition to the guard. And I can't help but wonder why a pregnant woman would feel that unsafe. Because Mrs. Green doesn't strike me as a particularly anxious person – despite her fear of needles."

 _Fear of needles?_ It took Danny a minute to comprehend what the other man was saying, his brain only half functioning. _Baltimore_. Danny looked down at Frankie, the squirming infant was trying to stuff her hand into her mouth, soft sounds of frustration escaping her as she couldn't quite get the position she wanted. _He could have lost her. He could have lost both of them._ He would never forget Kara's words.

" _They tried to take the baby."_

He had know that something was wrong the instant the Master Chief approached him in the tunnel below Avocet, his eyes meeting Danny's directly as he mentioned that Kara was at the tunnel entrance with Rachel, his manner more telling than his words. But when Danny finally caught a glimpse of Kara, she looked okay, no blood anywhere, and he felt a rush of relief, thinking that he had read the Master Chief wrong. But then Danny had seen the protective arm that Rachel had around Kara, and he had felt the way Kara trembled when he pulled her aside to talk to her, her eyes not quite meeting his. Her words, when she finally managed to speak, had been sickening. All he could do was hold her as words poured out, the story only half making sense, but enough for him to realize just how evil Doctor Hamada – and Amy Granderson – truly were.

He had found the room, later, the one that she had been held. Tex had tried to stop him, telling him that no good would come of it, but Danny hadn't listened. He'd needed to know. Standing there, staring at the examination table, the bindings still attached, he had felt pure rage as he pictured Kara tied down, a gag in her mouth, desperate to save herself and the baby. And he had been thankful that Hamada was already dead, lying in the corner of the room, the needle that Kara had plunged into the man still impaled in his chest. Because Danny was afraid that he would have killed the man himself, and that was a line he didn't want to cross – killing another not in action or in self-defense, but in anger, in reprisal, as retribution. Later, after he learned what Doctor Scott had done to Sorenson, Danny had recalled those moments in Baltimore, and he had understood what drove Rachel, why she had done what she had done, how she had been pushed over the line.

At least one good thing had come of his visit to that hellhole. The last thing Kara had asked him to do before he put her and Rachel in the rhib back to the Nathan James had been to find the nurse that had helped her, to make sure that the woman was okay. And her name was on Doctor Hamada's surgical notes, listed as the assistant for the procedure. The woman had been terrified when he and Tex approached her, certain that they were there to throw her in prison with the surviving Avocet guards. When instead Danny had offered her his thanks, and the vaccine, she had burst into tears, reluctant to accept the potentially lifesaving shot, her guilt over her actions at Avocet too great. He had seen the same reaction in many of the survivors of Avocet, as people who had turned a willingly blind eye to the activities at Olympia realized the horror that they had been party to. As he had many time before, Danny wondered how far he would go to save himself, to save Kara, to save Frankie. If he could cross that line, as Tom had done and hurt (or kill) others if it meant saving his family, or if Burk had been right. If there really were some lines that they – he, Burk, Tex, Wolf, Slattery, Chandler – could never cross.

Danny looked at Doctor Taka. "Kara's not anxious or afraid of needles. Adversity brings out two sides of people, Doctor. Here in New London, I'm glad that you got to see the good. Up north, we saw the bad."

The bad. That was what Danny needed to protect Frankie from. To protect Kara from, as much as she would let him. Starting by getting them both back to the relative safety of Norfolk.

Doctor Taka nodded, his shoulders sagging. He opened his mouth to respond, but Frankie was apparently done with the conversation and picked that moment to begin peeing everywhere. Flustered, Danny tried to stop the flow with her blanket, but that only shifted her diaper, smearing the mess over the bassinet. Doctor Taka started laughing, the tension in the room broken by the spectacle of a highly trained special force operator struggling to change his daughter's diaper.

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Kara leaned back in her chair. It was nice to be out of bed, even if she was still stuck in this hospital room. Rachel had left a few minutes earlier, after hooking up another IV, in the hopes that more fluids would help Kara's pounding head. At least Kara had been able to take a sponge bath and get dressed in regular clothes before she was tied down again. She had felt irrationally irritated when Danny had left earlier that morning to head back to the Nathan James, knowing that he would get to take a real shower (one which he desperately needed, but still….). At least the chair was by the window so she could watch the street below. It looked like another group of personnel was headed out, although she had no idea where. Kara found it unsettling watching the teams leave and come back and leave again without her knowing what they were doing, where they were going. Hopefully Danny would be back soon and could give her an update. She was used to being in the thick of things.

Kara looked down at the infant who was sleeping in her arms, lifting the child so that she could nuzzle Frankie's cheek, amazed by how soft her skin felt, by how sweet she smelled. Despite the fact that Kara was holding her daughter in her arms, it didn't quite feel real. But it was. She was a mother now. This little person was depending on her – and Danny – for everything. The responsibility felt so overwhelming and Kara felt so inept, so unprepared. Andrea had popped by this morning to give Kara another practical lesson on nursing, as well as to cuddle with Frankie while Kara ate and cleaned up. Kara wondered what she would do once she was back in Norfolk – alone. The idea was terrifying.

Kara felt a pang of guilt. Her mother would be there, of course, to help. But Kara had never had an easy relationship with her mother. Some of Kara's earliest memories were of calling her grandfather on days when she hadn't been able to wake Debbie up, or even worse, she had woken up to an empty house. Papa Paul had always come immediately, bringing her back to his farm until her mother would appear – sometimes days later. They had never talked about where her mother was or what she was doing. Her grandfather had been a quiet, introspective man who hadn't been able to move past his grief over the loss of his wife and son. But no matter what his personal feelings were about his daughter-in-law, he had never said anything negative about Debbie to her daughter. In fact, Kara only remembered her grandfather speaking in anger once. Kara had been twelve and Paul had tracked Debbie down after a week-long binge, dragging her back to the farm. But Kara had refused to leave with her mother, locking herself in her room at the farm, screaming at her mother to go away, to never come back. She was tired of holding her mother's head over the toilet. Tired of waking up to strange men in their house. Tired of the cycle of drinking and then apologizing. But it had been her grandfather who eventually knocked on the door and when Kara had opened it, his voice had been harsh.

" _She has lost more than you can imagine. You are the only thing that she has left. You WILL go home, and you WILL help her, because she is your mother and she needs you."_

And for years, those words had shaped Kara's life. She had gone home and she had done her best to take care of her mother, to ignore Debbie's faults and focus on the good times. But it had never been enough. After her grandfather passed away, Kara had taken over his role of dragging her mother home from her favorite drinking hole. Even after she left home, Kara had continued taking care of her mother, finally convincing Debbie to move to Norfolk to allow her to keep a closer eye on the woman.

Kara had lost her father before she was born, and in many ways she had lost her mother at the same time. When Kara thought about the kind of mother that she wanted to be – it wasn't Debbie. Frankie deserved better.

A quick knock interrupted Kara's thoughts. Lopez popped his head in the door. "Caroline Green to see you, ma'am."

"Please let her in," Kara responded, Caro's arrival was a welcome break from her melancholy thoughts. "How long have you been on duty, Lopez?"

"Fourteen hours," he responded with a weary smile.

"We're fine here if you want to take a break," Kara replied. It was after 1300 and Danny would be back soon. Besides, now that she was more mobile, she felt less concerned about needing a guard.

"Thank you ma'am," Lopez replied with a smile. "But my orders are to stay until Lieutenant Green gets back. I'm sure it won't be much longer."

As she closed the door, Caro made a face at Kara. "Danny has you under lock and key?"

Kara laughed. "No. Orders came from the XO. But I doubt Danny protested the arrangement."

"May I?" Caro asked as she joined Kara by the window, glancing at the needle in Kara's hand. "Another IV?"

After one more snuggle, Kara passed Frankie off to Caro. "Rachel hopes that the fluids will help with the headache. The magnesium may not have worked, but it did make one hell of a lasting impact."

"Where is everyone?" Caro asked, her attention on the baby. "I was surprised to find you here alone."

"I've had company most of the morning, but duty called. Danny headed back to the ship to talk to the Captain. And take a much needed shower."

"The room does smell better now," Caro responded with a smirk. "Make sure you tell Danny I said that. Are the two of you planning to stay here for a while?"

"In New London?" Kara replied, surprised. The thought hadn't occurred to her. But it should have. Danny's family – Caro, maybe his mother and brother – were here in New England. She had assumed that Danny would be talking to Captain Chandler about the best way to get her and Frankie back to Norfolk but he hadn't actually said that was the plan, only that he would take care of everything. And he had always considered Connecticut, rather than Virginia, his home… "I suppose that we might stay for a bit, but the Nathan James is based out of Norfolk."

"Your mother is there too, right? I imagine that she'll be a lot of help while Danny is gone." Caro was smiling down at Frankie, her question innocent.

"Yes, she's in Norfolk."

"Anyway, since Danny's not here, I get to ask you all of the good stuff." Caro's eyes twinkled and Kara wondered what she was getting herself into. "How did you and Danny meet, anyway?"

Kara smiled, at least that was a good memory. "The crew used to meet up a couple nights before we left port at a local watering hole. It gave us some time to catch up and socialize before going back on duty. Cruz told Danny and Frankie where we would be and they stopped by. Danny and I got to talking and found out that we have a lot in common."

Actually, she and Danny had been so caught up in their conversation that they hadn't noticed how late it was until last round was called. They had both lingered over their drinks as the bar emptied, reluctant to end the evening, and then Danny had offered to walk her home. They had reached her apartment far too quickly.

 _Danny lounged against the wall as she opened the door, the two of them staring at each other in the darkness before he leaned in to kiss her softly, gently, testing the waters. Kara raised her hands to his face, leaning back against the door, and Danny took the opportunity to step closer, his hands rising to her waist as he deepened the kiss. For long minutes they had stood there, oblivious to everything except each other. It was his hands sliding under her shirt that brought Kara back to reality. She reluctantly broke the kiss, pressing slightly on his chest until he leaned back, resisting the urge to run her hands over every inch of him._

" _Kara," he sighed, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. Breath catching, Kara almost gave in, the only thing stopping her from inviting him inside the thought of how awkward it would be to see him across the mess for the next four months._

" _You know the rules. We'll be on the ship together. No fraternizing." One of them had to be responsible and it clearly wasn't going to be Danny._

" _How about we talk about it over dinner tonight," he murmured, his head dipping down to give her another lingering kiss, his hands sliding back under her shirt._

" _I have plans." Kara replied after a moment, tempted to cancel, to spend the evening with Danny instead. But she couldn't. They were leaving first thing the next day and, with the ship at EMCON, Kara needed to make sure that Debbie had everything she needed in her daughter's absence._

" _With?"_

 _Danny raised his head, sounding aggravated, like a little boy denied his favorite treat. Kara took the opportunity to duck under his arm and put the door behind them, pushing it most of the way closed. "My mother. I might go to Shippers afterwards. Maybe I'll see you there."_

And she had, of course. He'd been there waiting when she made it just after 2300 despite the fact that they all needed to be on board the Nathan James by 0700 the following morning. Later she'd found out that Danny had arrived at 1800. Just in case Debbie had been an early bird, he explained, noting that his own mother liked to have dinner at 1730. Kara had laughed at the thought of her night owl mother eating dinner so early. Kara had been forced to rush through dinner in order to make it to Shippers when she did. But it had been worth it to spend the time with Danny. That night they had established the ground rules – no fraternizing while on the ship or around the crew. But they had only been on board two weeks before Danny pulled her into a nook in the pathway to sneak a kiss, the "rules" that they had agreed upon thrown out the window.

"That sounds so … normal," Caro commented. Kara raised an eyebrow at the other woman. "I guess I imagined something really romantic like Danny rescuing you after you fell overboard or the two of you having dinner while overlooking a glacier."

"Fell overboard? That would have been horrible. Do you know how cold the water is in the arctic?" Kara asked, shivering at the thought. "Think of it as dating a colleague. The weirdest part is working together." _Well, except the part where they could be brought up on charges for violating Navy fraternization policy._

"So you'd hang out with the guys playing poker and talking guns? Danny never took you on a real date?"

Most of Danny's "dates" had involved getting Kara alone – and ideally naked – without getting caught. But Caro sounded so disappointed that Kara felt the need to come up with something PG to share. "Sometimes we would sit outside and watch the northern lights. They were dazzling. I've never seen something so beautiful. And the arctic itself, the view from the ship, was amazing. Danny said it was better than the view on the shore, which was pretty restricted."

That seemed to mollify Caro. "Did anyone guess that you were dating?"

Alisha had, of course. Kara's frequent disappearances on nights when Frankie was on duty and Danny had the cabin to himself had been too much of a coincidence for her to have missed what was going on, but the two women had quickly adopted a "don't ask / don't tell" policy. And Frankie had known before they ever set foot on the ship, from the moment that Danny stayed behind with Kara that first evening. "Frankie had to cover for us a few times when someone was looking for Danny."

"You and Frankie got along then?" Caro asked.

Kara laughed. "Frankie was friends with everyone. That charm was infectious. He could even make Slattery laugh."

Caro looked down at the baby she was cuddling. "Frankie and Rebecca clashed. The two of them were always bickering when I was around. I used to blame Frankie for it but, thinking about it later, I think Rebecca was jealous of the time that Danny spent with Frankie."

Kara was surprised. She knew that Caro and Rebecca were best friends, and given how tight Danny and Frankie had been, she had imagined the four of them were close. It reminded her of how little she knew about Danny's past. Another knock on the door interrupted them.

"It's probably Rachel," Kara said to Caro before raising her voice. "Come in."

But it was Rebecca. She paused awkwardly in the doorway, her eyes darting around the room, taking in the sight of Caro holding Frankie and presumably looking for Danny. Behind her, Lopez was frowning as he opened his mouth to say something but Rebecca spoke first, holding up a small, festively wrapped package. "I brought you a gift."

Kara was touched. Rebecca was obviously trying to smooth over any tension between them and it was easier to interact with the other woman without Danny here. "Please, come in. Would you like to see the baby?"

It wasn't until Rebecca bent down to hand Kara the package that Kara caught the sickly sweet smell on her breath. Giving Rebecca a strained smile, Kara opened the package to find several pacifiers and some cloth diapers. The diapers would definitely come in handy, the packages of disposables that Bertrise had located would not last long.

"Thank you…." Kara began, looking up, but stopped when she saw Rebecca's face. She was staring at Frankie, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"I'm sorry…I thought I could do this but I can't." And with that Rebecca turned and fled the room.

Caro stood quickly, handing Frankie back to Kara, obviously planning to follow her friend. Caro paused a moment before explaining, somewhat awkwardly. "Rebecca's always loved children. She always imagined having one by now….."

"I understand," Kara replied quietly.

"I'm just going to go check on her." Caro sounded apologetic.

Kara summoned up her best CIC face. "Of course, please tell her thank you for the gift."

Juggling Frankie and the IV drip, Kara managed to get to the door to tell Lopez that she was going to lie down and didn't want any company. Then she dug through the bag that Alisha had brought by two nights ago until she found the picture that she was looking for. Setting it down on the bedside table, Kara tucked Frankie into her bassinet and crawled back into bed.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

By noon, Danny was feeling mostly human again. Commander Garnett had arrived at 0730 and offered to keep Kara company to let him get "cleaned up" and talk to Captain Chandler and Kara had seconded the suggestion. Although neither woman had been so uncouth as to say so, Danny figured that everyone on the hall would appreciate it if he took a shower. Yesterday Caro had told him that he smelled like a pig trough. The long, hot shower had been heavenly (the only thing that would have made it better was if Kara had been there to enjoy it with him, although, under the circumstances, she probably would have decked him if he got within a foot of her naked), and afterwards he had crashed in his bunk, asking the Master Chief to inform him when the Captain was available to talk. It was amazing how three hours of solid sleep could feel after being awake for most of the last forty-eight.

Danny knocked on the Captain's cabin promptly at 1200. The last time Danny and Captain Chandler had met in this office had been the day Danny requested the Captain's permission to marry Kara. While it had been an awkward conversation, the request had not appeared to surprise the Captain, who Danny suspected had rather traditional views about marriage and children. In fact, Danny was betting that the Captain and Doctor Scott would be married within the year, although Kara thought that Doctor Scott might take some convincing, her own ideas about relationships more … flexible … than the Captain's.

"Come in Lieutenant." Captain Chandler rose to shake Danny's hand. "I understand from Doctor Scott that congratulations are in order – a little girl."

"Thank you, sir." Despite Danny's nerves – this was not going to be an easy conversation – he couldn't help but beam at the thought of his daughter. "We named her Frankie. She's beautiful. Looks just like her mama."

"I'll make sure to come by and visit later," Captain Chandler replied with a smile, Danny's enthusiasm contagious. "In the meantime, what did you want to see me about?"

 _This was hard._ Danny hadn't realized until this instant just how hard it would be to talk to the Captain – a man who had lost his wife while out to sea, who had left his children with his father to return to the Nathan James, who had seen his family for only a few hours here and there over the last year. "I'm here to request two months leave, sir. Enough time for Kara to recover and to move her and Frankie back to Norfolk. I have already spoken with Lieutenant Burk and he feels comfortable that the team can continue to function until my return."

Captain Chandler leaned back in his chair, his hand folded before his face, his expression giving nothing away. It was the same look that his mother used to give Danny when he had misbehaved and she was determining his punishment. It took all of Danny's efforts not to squirm.

"That sounds reasonable," the Captain finally replied with a firm nod. "In fact, it fits rather well with a proposal that I planned to make to you and Lieutenant Foster."

Danny was knocked off-guard. "Sir?"

"Did Master Chief mention that Solace left Norfolk this morning for New London?"

"No." At least, not that Danny recalled. He had been running on fumes at that point.

"On such short notice, we were only able to gather a skeleton crew. After installing the equipment that your team recovered from Hartford, Solace will return to Norfolk for personnel and supplies before heading to Europe. Are you interested in hitching a ride south?"

It was the perfect solution, actually. Danny hadn't been keen on making the five hundred mile trip via land. He'd done the trip numerous times, pre-virus, but there was no telling what the roads or the territory that they would be traveling through would look like now. "Thank you, sir."

"And once you are in Norfolk, I am hoping that you can assist me with another project," the Captain continued. "As you know, I have been working to locate additional military personnel. I have found quite a few volunteers but, unfortunately, it's a rag tag band – some navy, some army, some national guard, some with no training at all. I need someone to get a training program up and running at Norfolk. Are you up for the job? It will mean staying at Norfolk for several months."

"Absolutely," Danny didn't hesitate. This unexpected chance to spend time with Kara, with Frankie, was not to be squandered.

But Chandler wasn't done. "I hope that once Lieutenant Foster is back on her feet that she might be able to help as well. She's a damn good TAO and the training program she instituted for the engineering JOs was an excellent resource. I am hoping that she can get the ATCIC program at Norfolk up and running, help us train some replacement sailors and start rebuilding the Navy."

"I'm sure that Kara would be happy to help in any way that she can," Danny replied. He was certain that Kara would jump at the opportunity. Although she had refused to discuss the topic, he knew that she was struggling with leaving the Nathan James, with feeling displaced. This would be a way of helping the crew – of being useful – even though she would be in Norfolk.

"I'm glad that we were able to work this out." The Captain nodded briskly, before giving Danny a sideways glance. "While we're waiting on Solace, I arranged a meeting with the Massachusetts alliance. Briefing is at 1700 if you are up for one last mission with the team."

Danny nodded. The idea of leaving the situation in Massachusetts unresolved had left a bitter taste in his mouth – especially given the disregard the group had shown to the residents of Cornwall.

"Before I go, Captain, there's something else that I would like to discuss." Danny thought he saw a shadow of surprise cross the Captain's face. "I am concerned about how hard we've pushed the TAC teams this year. Not that the guys complain, but they are starting to burn out. Having replacement personnel will certainly help, but I think something more might be required. You may recall Eddie Ward – my friend here in New London. He suffered from PTSD after returning from Afghanistan. I spoke to him about the type of program that he went through once he returned to the States. I would like to try to set something up in Norfolk along those lines."

"That is a broad undertaking," Chandler replied, leaning forward in his chair, giving Danny his full attention. "But one that I agree would be beneficial."

Danny pressed ahead. "I understand from Doctor Scott that Mrs. Tophet has a degree in psychiatry. I was hoping to get her involved. Given the events of the past year, I believe that establishing a program now may ward off future problems."

"An excellent suggestion. I'll ask Mrs. Tophet myself." Captain Chandler stood to slap Danny on the back. "And I'll come by to meet the newest member of the Nathan James family tonight."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny was whistling as he entered the hospital thirty minutes later. He had been gone longer than anticipated, and decided to stop by the cafeteria and grab a snack for Kara, uncertain whether she had eaten. He was picking up a sandwich for himself (with Bacon on shore the food at the mess hall had definitely not been up to snuff) when Caro stomped in.

"There you are," she snapped. "I've been looking for you for hours."

Danny ignored her as he piled the tray. Caro had been on her best behavior for the past twenty-four hours. Apparently the welcome home lull was over. "I was on the ship. I thought you'd appreciate the ivory fresh smell."

"You do smell – and look – better, although I notice you still have that beard. Isn't it against regulations? Never mind, that's not important," Caro huffed.

Danny grinned. Kara liked the scruff, which was more than enough reason to keep the beard – despite the disapproval that Slattery had expressed on a number of occasions. Grabbing the tray, Danny headed towards the stairs, calling back to Caro. "Figured out a way to Norfolk, if you are interested in coming with us."

"To Norfolk? What about mom and Chris?"

That got Danny's attention. He stopped, waiting for her to catch up. "There is nothing we can do to find them right now, Caro. There's no easy way to Vermont from here, given the situation in Massachusetts, and we aren't sure where they are. Our best option is to keep spreading the cure. If it gets to them, they'll be able to contact us."

Caro opened her mouth, then shut it. "We'll talk about it later. Anyway, I think Kara's upset."

 _Crap_. He should have known as soon as he saw her – Caro was acting far too defensive. But even more than that, he shouldn't have left Kara alone to deal with his sister at all. He, better than anyone, knew how … difficult … Caro could be. Setting down the tray, he crossed his arms across his chest, giving her a look that would have had Miller quaking in his boots. "What did you do?"

But Caro was immune to such things. She shrugged. "Not me. Rebecca. She came by to drop off a gift while I was visiting with Kara, but she got upset. I left to talk to Rebecca and when I came back that _petard_ refused to let me back in to see Kara or tell me why."

Danny rolled his eyes as he picked up the tray and headed upstairs, hoping that Kara wasn't too pissed about whatever Rebecca had done or said. Kara had been incredibly understanding about the whole ex-girlfriend situation. He couldn't blame her if she had reached her breaking point with his family and friends. "Lopez's job is to keep people out. Not give you status updates. This isn't Memorial. You aren't a nurse here."

"Not him. Tex. How do you put up with him?"

Well, that was an unexpected development. Sure enough, as Danny opened the door to the second floor it was Tex, not Lopez, who was hanging out in front of Kara's door.

"Caro," Danny waited until he had her full attention. "Thank you for letting me know what happened, but I've got it. Please go away. Go talk to Rebecca or something."

"She's in my room at the hotel," Caro replied with a sigh. "I didn't want her running into anyone else until she sobered up."

"What?" That got Danny's attention. He was going to have a serious conversation with Lopez when this was over about how _guard duty_ was supposed to work. "She showed up at Kara's room _drunk_?"

Caro sighed. "She's been through a lot, Danny. In the past couple of days she found out that you have a wife and kid, that her parents are dead, and that Hartford was destroyed. She had a drink. Just one. But you know how she is with alcohol. Total lightweight."

Danny ground his teeth. "What was she drinking?"

"Why?"

"Just answer the question, Caroline," Danny snapped. Kara's mother had apparently preferred rum.

"I don't know," Caro admitted. She paused as he continued glaring at her. "I don't! I would tell you if I did. You're my brother, Danny. When it comes down to it, I'm always going to back you over Rebecca. I always have." And with that Caro disappeared down the stairs, leaving Danny unsure of how to take Caro's last statement. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he headed down the hall towards Tex. He'd deal with one thing at a time.

"She said she was going to rest but pretty sure I heard crying," Tex said softly, not waiting for Danny to ask. "Lopez knows he screwed up. Kid wasn't sure how to handle it so he called me."

With a hidden sigh, Danny opened the door to the darkened room. Kara was lying on the bed, Frankie in the bassinet beside her, holding a picture that he could recognize even from this distance – the one of her and her mother that she kept in her locker. Although she was silent, he knew she was awake from the pattern of her breathing. Without a word, Danny lay down behind her, curling his arm around her waist, waiting until her tense muscles relaxed back against him.

"You want to talk about it?"

"I never understood." Kara's voice was thick with unshed tears.

"Why she starting drinking, you mean?"

"Yes." Kara's voice was a whisper. "She was alone and she had a baby – me – to take care of. How do I know that won't be me someday?"

"You aren't your mother."

Kara rolled over to face him, her eyes haunted. "How do you know that? How do you know that one day Frankie won't come home to find me halfway through my second bottle of Bacardi?"

"Because I know you." Danny lifted his hand to hold her chin. "Because I know that you would never hurt Frankie the way that your mother hurt you. Because you know what it's like to be four and wake up alone, not knowing where your mother was or when she'd be home. You know what it's like to be fourteen and have to drive home because your mother is passed out beside you in the truck. I _know_ you would never do that to Frankie."

Tears streamed down Kara's face. "She tried, you know."

"To stay sober?"

She nodded. "She'd stop for a month or two, but she always fell off the wagon. I stopped believing that it was possible. It's been almost a year now and every time I talk to her I expect her speech to be slurred. It's so easy to do when you are hurting. To pick up a drink to numb the pain. It's what Rebecca did."

"You know that you have nothing to worry about with Rebecca, right?" Danny met Kara's eyes directly, asking the question he should have asked days ago. "I'm not going to leave you to raise Frankie alone."

Kara smiled despite the tears that still glittered in her eyes. "I know. I know that you would never break a vow."

Danny considered his words carefully. "That's not the reason why you shouldn't worry about Rebecca, though. It's because you and me together, it feels right. It feels like the way it should be. I can't imagine not having you in my life. I told you – back on the James after the Dengue Fever – that the way I felt wasn't going to change. And it hasn't. It won't. No matter what, we're in this together. You, me, and now Frankie. Okay?"

A real smile crossed Kara's face, and she reached up to pull him in for a soft kiss. After a moment she pulled back, her eyes fixed on his. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Actually, you won't," Danny drawled, smiling in the special way she liked. "Captain Chandler offered me shore duty for the next few months. Training personnel down in Norfolk. Actually, he offered us both shore duty. He apparently liked the training program you developed for the engineering JOs and wants to replicate it."

Kara's eyes widened. "But what about your team? I know how important they are to you."

She continued to amaze him. Despite everything that had happened, despite her own fears, her first thoughts were for him, for the team, for the mission. "They are, but right now, I have a different priority. Solace is on its way here to pick up the equipment it needs. We'll catch a ride back to Norfolk on her, along with Doctor Milowsky."

"Are you sure? We could stay here, instead, Frankie and I, until the Nathan James is ready to head back to Norfolk. It's your home. Your family is here. Your friends. I could make it work…"

"This isn't home anymore, Kara." Danny interrupted, touched her check with his hand. "I knew it even before we arrived. It just took some time for me let go of the dream that Cornwall would be the way that I left it. It's time for us to make a new home. You and me and Frankie. And that's in Norfolk. Where our Nathan James family is. Where your mother is."

"I love you," Kara whispered, giving him another soft kiss.

"I love you too." Danny replied, feeling completely at peace as he lay there with Kara, wiping the tears from her face. The moment passed too quickly, though, as Danny noticed that Frankie's brow was starting to wrinkle, which he had discovered was the precursor to her screaming her head off. Rolling off the bed to pick up his daughter, Danny added. "Maybe once we're in Norfolk we can set up a nursery. I have an idea for a theme."

"Football again?" Kara asked dryly.

"No, something else." Danny smiled. "You'll just have to wait and see."


	19. Chapter 19

Thank you all for your thoughts on the direction for the story. I am going to continue this one for a few more chapters and wrap up some things - we'll probably take a little trip to Norfolk. Then I have some ideas for different stories that I might try.

What girl are you talking about _Sarah Carter_? I know that Trini, one of the production assistants, sometimes posts pictures of the actors on set but I haven't seen Travis with another actress. I can't imagine the show breaking up Danny and Kara now!

I heard that too _Ana16kin_! Can you imagine Kara being anyone but Marissa? I totally can't! The two of them are so cute together. Plus, Marissa seems like a fun person. I loved that picture Marissa had on Instagram of her dressed up as Katy Perry with a shark, lol.

Next chapter we'll get a little bit of action!

CHAPTER 19

"You two decent?" Tex called as he thumped on the door. Kara rolled her eyes, but she did pull the blanket to cover Frankie's head while she finished nursing, just in case it was the Captain.

"You know he can't help himself," Danny murmured as he swung the door open to reveal Doctor Taka and Tex – the later covering his eyes. "You can look now, Tex."

Tex smirked at Kara, nodding his head at Danny. "You never know with this one. He obviously can't keep his hands to himself."

Kara broke out laughing. Even Doctor Taka was smiling as he entered the room, amused by the ridiculously suggestive nature of Tex's comment.

"How is your head?" Taka asked as he got closer. "I see that someone removed the IV. Has Doctor Scott been by?"

"I took it out myself," Kara explained. Then, to answer the obvious question, added, "I've done it before. My secondary role on the ship is as a medical tech. My head is a little better. The fluids helped."

"How is your appetite?" Doctor Taka asked, both of them ignoring the fact that only days before Kara had claimed to have a paralyzing fear of needles.

"Not so good," Kara admitted. Danny had tried to get her to eat the sandwich and cookies that he had brought upstairs earlier, but the cold, slimy meat hadn't been appealing and the cookies were too sweet. Unlatching Frankie, she pulled her shirt closed before passing the sleepy infant over to the doctor.

"It's important to eat. You'll need at extra 500 calories per day while nursing to keep your supply sufficient."

Kara stifled a groan at the Doctor's words. Danny was going to be insufferable for the next few days, stuffing food down her throat, probably even recruiting Bacon to help.

"How's she doing, Doc?" Danny asked as Doctor Taka listened to Frankie chest.

"You have a superstar here," Taka replied with a smile. He rewrapped Frankie and passed her on to Danny. "My guess is that she was close to full term – around thirty-six weeks – given how well she's breathing. She is looking a little yellow so we'll watch for jaundice. Keep up the nursing and maybe get her a little sunlight."

"Can we leave the hospital?" Danny asked. "Thought we could take Frankie for a walk across the street, maybe visit a few people."

"That's fine," Doctor Taka replied. "Just make sure to have people clean their hands before holding her. I don't want to know what you guys have been touching given the state of your clothing yesterday."

"Your job is way worse, Doc," Tex replied with a snort.

After the doctor left, Kara gave Danny a telling look. "Did you have a destination in mind?"

"There's a briefing at five," he admitted. "I figured that you and Frankie could come along. It will save everyone the trouble of coming over here to visit."

 _And then Danny didn't have to worry about her getting any unexpected company_ , Kara added silently. Rebecca's appearance seemed to have tripped Danny's protective instincts but, for once, Kara wasn't complaining. After being stuck in this room for the past two days, she was feeling stir-crazy. Besides, after more than a year on the Nathan James, Kara had become used to the constant company of others. She was rarely alone even in her own bunk, since she and Alisha worked a similar schedule. Being alone felt … strange. It was something that she would have to adjust to once they arrived in Norfolk.

Fifteen minutes later they had arrived at the hotel and Kara was feeling less sanguine about Danny's overprotective behavior. He had actually suggested carrying her down the hospital stairs, stopped less by her incredulous response than by the realization that he would have to let go of Frankie in order to pick Kara up. Tex, of course, had found the entire situation hysterical. Still, it was nice to be out of the hospital and, predictably, they were quickly surrounded by people wanting to get a glimpse of Frankie. Kara smiled as Andrea swooped in, immediately taking charge. "Everyone get in line. We don't want to overwhelm her. And use the soap!"

Kara smiled as she passed Frankie over to the Commander, feeling teary-eyed as she watched the older woman handle the infant so naturally, wishing that there was a way for all of them to stay together for longer. Kara surreptitiously wiped away a tear, then stiffened in surprise when Danny slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. They were _never_ this affectionate in public, especially around the rest of the crew.

"Relax," Danny murmured into her ear. "You aren't part of the crew anymore, and you aren't in uniform. It's not against the rules."

Although Danny hadn't said anything that Kara didn't already know, the words left her feeling bereft. The Nathan James had been the center of her life for years. The ithought of leaving it behind, of leaving her friends behind, was difficult, no matter the reason.

"And there's the newest member of our crew," Captain Chandler's voice sliced through the crowd. Lost in her thoughts for a moment, Kara hadn't noticed Captain Chandler and Doctor Scott approaching. Although Kara couldn't help but notice that they had arrived together and Rachel looked rather … flustered. Danny stood up straighter upon the Captain's arrival but he didn't remove the arm he had around Kara's waist. "Do you mind, Eng?"

"Here you go sir," Andrea replied as she passed Frankie to Captain Chandler. "Careful for her neck."

"I have done this a time or two before, you know," the Captain replied with a chuckle before adding, in a more serious tone, "I understand that she was named after two very special people. Frankie Benz and Lillian Garnett."

"Yes, sir." Kara glanced at Andrea. "We hope that she lives up to her namesakes."

"If she's anything like her parents, I sure that she will," Captain Chandler replied. Then he glanced at Rachel, a slight twist to his mouth. "So how's my technique, Doctor?"

"You'll do," Rachel replied, a grudging tone to her voice. "Now pass her here so I can check her out. You've keep my away from my work all afternoon."

Kara could have sworn that the Captain's lips were twitching as he left, nodding for Danny to follow. The moment that the men were out of earshot, Kara turned to Rachel. "Did you and Captain Chandler have a disagreement over something?"

Rachel sighed. "Captain Chandler can be a most odious man."

"And…" Kara waited, knowing that there was more to _that_ statement.

"He won't even consider my joining Doctor Milowsky on Solace," Rachel said in exasperation. "I thought I could go with Solace to Europe, try to locate some friends in England. Solace would likely need to return to Norfolk for supplies before moving on in any event. But Tom wouldn't hear of it. He wants to take the James instead, even though Commander Garnett has recommended against a transatlantic crossing until certain required maintenance is complete. He refused to listen to the perfectly valid reasons why my presence would aid the mission. Instead, he kept trying to distract me in the most juvenile of manners."

Rachel stopped, her rant over, but Kara noticed that Rachel had slipped and called the Captain _Tom_. And his comment about his "technique"? Well, if it had been anyone else Kara would have assumed that there was a double meaning. There was _definitely_ more going on there than met the eye.

"It can be difficult dealing with that protective instinct," Kara replied softly. "It isn't always rational. Not that they would ever admit it."

Rachel smiled, their eyes meeting. "We might need to talk about that more at a later date. But, for now, Miss Frankie seems to want her mama back."

With that, Rachel returned the squirming baby to Kara. "Have you heard what this briefing is about?" Kara asked as they headed into the ballroom where the briefing was being held.

"Something regarding the Massachusetts Alliance," Rachel replied. "I understand that the XO spent the afternoon talking to the prisoners. Captain Chandler was hoping to get some additional information."

Kara settled near the exit in case Frankie got noisy. The XO was just arriving and headed towards the Captain, who had been speaking with Danny and Burk at the front of the room.

"You find anything out, Mike?" At Captain Chandler's words the room fell silent. Kara noted how comfortable– how normal –it felt to be sitting in a briefing again. The only reminder of the radical changes that the past couple of days had brought was the infant now held in her arms.

"The kid talked, but didn't really tell us anything new," Slattery replied. "They wanted the cure after all. They just wanted to limit the cure to the _right people_. If there was a bigger plan the kid didn't know it and the others haven't said a word."

Danny was frowning. "Tom would have known I was on the Nathan James. It makes no sense to send him to Hartford. It gave away the operation."

"You weren't with the initial meet and greet party," Slattery pointed out. "And we didn't mention your trip north, since you were doing surveillance. He probably thought you were dead."

"Even if you were alive, there was no reason for him to expect you to figure out what had happened within days," Chandler added. "The Alliance might actually have wanted the two of you to run into each other. Before you went to Cornwall, you probably would have given the guy a good reference. We might have bought into their little game."

The room was silent for a moment as everyone considered the next step.

"They're thugs." Chandler spoke decisively, crossing his arms across his chest. "The only difference between the Alliance and El Toro is that the Alliance has more soldiers. By keeping the cure tightly under control, they avoid any challenge to their power. So the solution is to get the cure to the people."

"We don't have the manpower for a frontal assault, sir," Burk noted. "In Baltimore we piggy-backed on the local dissidents. But the Alliance has established walls around the entire state. There's no way into the state to find any dissidents."

"Actually there is," Danny pointed out. "Ward got out. We could send a team in the same way."

"How do you the path hasn't been compromised in the past six weeks?" Slattery asked, glancing at Eddie.

"Possible but unlikely," Eddie replied with a shake of his head. "There's a freeway between Boston and Albany that handled all major traffic. The road I used was an old trail and only used by locals or leaf peepers. Green knows the road best."

"The real problem isn't the Alliance – it's the condition of the road this time of year," Danny explained. "There's probably going to be snow at that altitude, which means ice, and that may make the road impassable. Some of the turns are a full 180 degrees and the inclines are steep. There are no guard rails and if you go off the road, you are not getting up. It would also be easy to set up an ambush since there's no way to see around those bends. We'd never see it coming."

"What odds do you give it of working?" Slattery asked.

"I give it eighty percent chance the road is clear enough to make it into Massachusetts," Danny replied after a moment of consideration.

"Even if we get a team into the state, we still have to reach the correct people without tipping off the wrong people," Burk pointed out. "If we go house to house to spread the cure, we run the risk of running into Alliance sympathizers."

"I can solve that problem." Officer Rickman spoke up, startling everyone in the room. "A lot of people here have family up there. I'm sure we could get a few volunteers to go with you and make the introduction. Once the daisy-chain starts, it will eventually reach the right people."

"We don't have the luxury of waiting here until the cure spreads sufficiently for the locals to reach out to us," Chandler replied, looking at Rickman directly. "Every day we stay in New London, the virus continues to spread elsewhere."

"They can reach out to me," Rickman replied without hesitation. "I'm sure my boys can smuggle in some weapons or provide support for a little bit of home-grown sabotage."

"Given the road conditions and the possibility of an ambush, there's no way we can send in civilians in any case," Slattery said flatly.

"I could go," Eddie spoke up. "I have friends in Williamstown. It's in the very corner of the state, just over the New York border, so we wouldn't need to go too far into Alliance territory."

"You have a kid!" Surprisingly it was Rickman that protested Eddie's suggestion. "We'll drag those drunks from Worcester. They must know someone that wasn't in a gang."

"Worcester's smack in the middle of the state," Danny objected. "Much more likely to catch attention. I have some contacts in Greenfield, former military. We could try there."

"How long since you've seen or talked to these people, Green?" Chandler asked.

"A few years," Danny admitted.

"These contacts in Williamstown, Ward, any recent communication? The closer we stick to the border, the safer this operation becomes."

"I have a marine buddy that I spoke with a couple times after the quarantine was put in place. He was digging in at his home up there. If anyone made it through this thing, it would be him," Eddie replied.

Captain Chandler was silent for a moment, considering the options. "We'll go with Ward's plan. Burk is in charge of the TAC team now, Green, but I'm sure he would be more than wiling to have you tag along."

Kara sensed the surprise in the room at the Captain's comment, as Cobra learned – apparently for the first time – that Danny would be leaving the team. Danny met Kara's eyes from across the room. She could see the unspoken question, hear the words hanging between them.

 _Don't you dare make me raise this child by myself_.

His missions were always risky. But this plan – sneaking into hostile territory, on dangerous roads, searching for people that might or might not be alive, no backup – this was petrifying.

 _But this is who Danny was. What he was good at._

Despite his fears, Danny hadn't tried to talk her out of joining the vaccination trial. He hadn't tried to sway her decision when they were in Norfolk. He hadn't asked her to leave the James the day they went after the submarine. He had accepted her for who she was - supported her decisions. She could do no less. She couldn't tell him not to go - not when Eddie was taking the chance of leaving his son an orphan, not when Danny knew the road and could potentially save his team, not when he had the chance to take down the group that had killed so many people that he loved. Kara nodded, the motion barely perceptible.

It was only when they were back in Kara's hospital room that she was able to say the words that were screaming in her head. "Promise me that you will do everything in your power to come back to us. _Please_."


	20. Chapter 20

Thank you _IzzyLu4_! I feel the same way about Danny and Kara – they both know how important that the mission is to the other!

Thank you _Tata_ and _Anonymous 120_ and _othfan326_! We'll get to some good action soon. :) Plus some good character stuff as everyone gets ready to say goodbye to each other (for a little while at least).

I actually had an idea for something like that _Guest_. Maybe I'll clean up my rough idea and post a one-shot over the weekend.

There's a homage in here to the story "Like A Shooting Star" by StarTraveler. I loved Burk and Ravit together but writing for them would make me too sad. Glad someone else did it.

And I added in a flashback to address one of the scenes that you asked about Kamila. I hope this is what you were looking for!

CHAPTER 20

"You want to take a break now?" Eddie asked Danny as they reached the New York side of the Mohawk trail. They had timed the trip well, and the sun was just setting, giving them maximum darkness for the trip across the mountain. The SUV was overly full with Burk, Tex, Cruz, Wolf, Miller, Eddie and Rickman, but they hadn't wanted to take a second vehicle. This was an all or nothing operation.

Danny nodded. "Everyone take ten. No pit stops after this."

"Sure you can hold it Miller?" Cruz teased as they piled out of the vehicle, earning himself a punch from the younger man.

As the guys took the opportunity to stretch, Danny caught up with Eddie. "Are you sure you want to do this? You can wait for us here or jump a ride back to New London. Nobody would blame you. You have a kid back there."

"So do you," Eddie pointed out.

"I also have a wife to take care of her if I get killed," Danny replied carefully, knowing that he was treading on sensitive territory.

Eddie was silent for a minute. "I asked Rebecca to take care of Tyler if anything happened."

Danny was shocked speechless. "Two days ago you could barely stand the sight of her."

"I still can't. When I see her, all I can think about is Amber lying there dying and Rebecca offering her _morphine_." Eddie hands tightening to fists as he took a ragged breath, the fury behind the words evident. "But she was Amber's best friend for years. I know that she'll take care of Tyler."

There was a long pause before Danny spoke. "It brings back a lot of memories, travelling this road."

"It seems like a lifetime ago. You picking me up in that beat-up Chevy, us going to visit Rebecca and Amber over at Russell Sage." Eddie smiled suddenly. "I almost refused to go with you that first weekend. Hanging around while you and Rebecca made out was torture. I had a horrible crush on Rebecca back then."

"I know," Danny replied with a laugh. "You were pretty obvious."

"But if it hadn't been for Rebecca, I would never have met Amber," Eddie said. Amber had been Rebecca's roommate that first year and Eddie and Amber had been thrust together constantly as they played wingmen to their respective friends. It hadn't taken long for Amber and Eddie to become a couple themselves. "Funny how things work out. I never would have guessed back then that you and Rebecca would split up and I'd marry Amber. Rebecca asked me to tell you that she was sorry."

Danny was caught off guard by the change of topic. "What?"

"This morning," Eddie explained. "I found her outside the hospital. She said that the guard at the door wouldn't let her in. Figured you gave the order and were still pissed at her, so she asked me to pass along the message. What did she do anyway?"

Danny frowned at Eddie, giving a quick shake of his head. He didn't want to talk about it. "Tex, did you say something to Lopez yesterday?"

"I did," Burk replied, no remorse in his tone. Then he gave a predatory smile. "Had to remind the guys of who is in charge now. I run a tight ship."

Eddie raised an eyebrow at Danny. "Are you really taking a shore assignment?"

"I'll be training the guys down in Norfolk," Danny confirmed. "It can't be any worse than training Miller."

"Never thought I'd see the day," Burk said, once the laughter had died down. "But family. It's the most important thing. Especially now."

Danny met Burk's eyes, knowing that he was thinking about Ravit as looked towards the stars, thinking about what might have been in an alternative universe. How different things might be right now. If Ravit was still alive, Danny and Kara might not be the only junior officers starting their lives together, getting married, having children. And Burk wouldn't have to watch for a falling star to remember the woman that had burst into his life so unexpectedly and transformed him.

Thinking about Ravit inevitably led Danny back to New Orleans and the Immunes, and Kara's words from the day that the Nathan James took on the submarine.

" _Don't you dare make me to raise this child by myself_."

And yet he almost had. The fear he had felt when he saw the weapon that the Immunes had brought to Loma Point and realized that the Nathan James was already within range had made him careless, focused only on reaching the armament, taking out the man behind the guns. When the pain exploded in his chest, he had thought for a moment that it was over, that he would never see Kara again, never meet his baby. And worse was the terrible realization that he had failed, he hadn't been able to stop the Immune who was, even then, preparing to sink the James and kill everyone that he loved. But the terror he had felt on land had been nothing compared to his arrival back on the Nathan James.

" _Welcome back, Mr. President," Master Chief had greeted them as the land team reboarded the ship. Around them was controlled chaos as the crew struggled to temporarily repair the damage caused by the sub's missiles, at least enough to get the ship back to the relative safety of the waterways around New Orleans and avoid any confrontation with the civilian population._

" _Any casualties?" the President asked._

" _Only a few injuries, sir," Master Chief replied. Then, turning to Doctor Scott, he added, "Lieutenant Foster needs your assistance in medical, Doctor Scott."_

 _Danny's breath caught. Kara could be helping Doc Rios, of course, but the Master Chief had just said that there were only a few injuries. Kara should have been in CIC to handle any complications from the civilians working with the Ramseys. The only reason why she would have left CIC was if she was hurt – or something had happened to the baby. Something like the shock wave from a missile hitting the ship. Danny could still feel the flutter of the baby under his hand this morning, the radiant smile on Kara's face as he leaned up to kiss her. To lose this child now – to lose either one of them – would be shattering._

" _Commander Slattery, you and Lieutenant Green should come with me so I can check you out," Doctor Scott replied. And instead of shaking off the injury like he normally would have, Danny headed immediately towards medical, ignoring the ensuing argument between Doctor Scott and the XO. The trip has seemed to take a year, rather than a few moments, as panicked thoughts ran through Danny's head._

 _When he finally entered the medical bay, his eyes flew to Kara where she sat on a bunk in the corner, her feet up, obviously not there to assist Doc Rios (who was in the process of bandaging up an ensign's head), but not appearing to be in any distress. At that moment she looked up, their eyes meeting across the room and she smiled, giving him a slight nod, her relief palpable. He nodded back, taking a deep breath, which made him cough, his chest still throbbing where the bullet had hit._

" _Off with the vest so I can take a look," Doctor Scott said firmly and Danny saw Kara's eyes widen, alarmed by the doctor's comment._

" _It's just a bruise, Doc," Danny replied. "I'll wait while you stitch up the Commander."_

 _Without waiting for an answer, and knowing that Slattery would be anxious to get up to the bridge and talk to the Captain, Danny headed towards Kara, stepping around Doc Rios to sit on the edge of her bunk. "Thought you'd be in CIC."_

 _Kara grimaced. "The radar is out and we had to flood the armory. We used the last of the five inch to hit the sub. There's nothing that I can do from CIC. Captain Chandler sent me down here to help Doc Rios, but he insisted that I stay off my feet until Doctor Scott was back on board. Apparently HMC training doesn't address 'pregnancy related issues'."_

 _Danny was stunned into silence. They had to flood the armory? The James was in far worse shape than he realized. With the armory flooded, the ship had no weapons or countermeasures. They were as defenseless as a cargo ship (well, perhaps a cargo ship with a helicopter and an array of firearms). There were so many ways that he could have lost them today. If Doctor Scott hadn't insisted on treating that child, if the family hadn't warned them about the Immunes, if the XO hadn't been able to take control of the weapon and sink the sub…_

" _But you feel okay? No bleeding or cramping or anything?"_

" _I feel fine. Doc was concerned about the shock wave but I feel peanut moving around," Kara replied, her hand touching her stomach. Danny wished that they weren't surrounded by others, that he could place his hand on hers, feel for himself that the baby was fine. "I take it that you were the ones that sank the sub?"_

" _We ran into a sick family. Doctor Scott cured them – she was right, the contagious cure works. They told us that the Immunes had a surprise for you, but by the time we found out what they were planning, it was too late to warn you. When I saw the smoke coming from the ship…" Danny's voice faltered, unable to finish the sentence. He reached out and took her hand, fraternization policy be damned. "Promise me you won't make me go through that again."_

" _I can't make that promise, Danny," she whispered softly. "Any more than you can make that promise to me. Our jobs are dangerous. The world is dangerous. And we don't know what will happen tomorrow. All I can do is promise that I will do everything that I can to keep this baby safe and come back to you at the end of the day."_

"What made you decide to leave the team?" Eddie asked, bringing Danny back to the present. "Kara?"

Danny shook his head. That day in New Orleans, he had understood, for the first time, how she felt when he left the ship. Every time he was on a mission. And yet she had never asked him to leave the ship, to skip a mission. She understood that it was part of who he was. She hadn't tried to change him – and he loved her all the more for it.

"No, not Kara. It was my father," Danny replied. "Going to Cornwall brought back a lot of memories of him. Of the time we spent together. He wasn't one for big tips or expensive gifts, but he was always there. I want to do that for my own kids. To have that special time with them – those special memories. I can't say that I'll never do another tour. But I can at least try to start it off right with Frankie."

Eddie nodded. "Your dad was a good man. He would have been proud of you."

"I hope so."

Danny took a moment to compose himself before calling for everyone to load up. As everyone loaded back into the vehicle, Danny took the opportunity to check with base. This might be their last opportunity to do so, depending on whether the Alliance was jamming their signals.

"Cobra to base."

"Base here," Captain Chandler replied.

"We're ready to rock and roll."

"You have a green light. Stay frosty."

Danny turned to the others in the SUV. "We're radio silent from now on except for an emergency. And everyone buckle up. This might get rough. Oh, and anyone have a bag for Ward to use? He gets motion sickness."

"Only when you are driving," Eddie muttered. He turned to address the remainder of the group. "Have any of you actually ridden with him before?"

Burk was the one to answer. "Only in a rhib."

"Then you are in for a real experience," Eddie said with a laugh. "There's a reason he couldn't get his license until he was eighteen."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Four hours of creeping around corners and down steep inclines at ten miles an hour, they finally reached the straightaway. Danny rolled his shoulders and twisted his neck in an effort to relieve the stiffness in his muscles. The night vision goggles had helped, of course, but navigating a tiny, twisting road that he hadn't driven in years with no headlights was enough to give anyone a headache. They had deliberately bypassed the first few towns they reached, heading directly to the home of Eddie's marine friend. There was no way to know for sure if the man was part of the Alliance or not, but Danny trusted Eddie, and Eddie though that Bushay was too independent to have fallen in with the Alliance's crowd. Although Danny was painfully aware that he very well might have said the same thing about Tom a week ago.

They left the SUV hidden a mile away from the house and advanced on foot, Wolf and Tex swinging around to the back of the cabin while the others took positions along the road. Danny stood to the side, back against the wall, as Eddie knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Eddie Ward. Looking for Rob Bushay." Danny could tell from Eddie's voice that the man responding was unknown. He tightened his hold on the pistol he was holding, in case they needed to make a quick getaway. The door cracked open.

"Said your name is Ward?"

"Yup. Served with Bushay back in Afghanistan."

"Your uniform says Green."

It was the almost imperceptible sound of a footstep coming around the corner of the cabin that alerted Danny. He waited, silently, as Eddie continued wrangling with the man at the door. A distraction, no doubt.

"It's a loaner. Look, is Rob here or not?"

In a second, Danny had the man facedown on the ground, knee in his back, gun to head. This was no civilian. The only reason Danny had been able to surprise him was the night gear that had allowed him to stay hidden until the last second. The guy twisted his leg suddenly, trying to dislodge Danny, but he succeeded only in bringing the full weight of Danny's knee down on his back. It was a move Danny knew well. This guy was special forces.

"I'm going to guess that you're Rob," Danny said, before reholstering his pistol, and pulling the guy to a standing position, and pushing him towards Eddie.

"So you with the Alliance or not?" Eddie demanded, getting directly in Rob's face.

"You asshole. I'll get you for this." The man spat at Eddie. He jerked again at the arm Danny was pinching against his back. "And you too, whoever you are."

"Told you," Eddie said, the comment directed at Danny. "That's my buddy Danny. I introduced the two of you at my wedding."

"Looks like we found the right place then. I'm going to release you now, but if you so much as scratch your nose the wrong way, I'll break your neck." Danny shoved the man towards the house, stepping back. "Burk?"

"Got your covered," Carlton replied from the shadows, not getting any closer.

"We have you surrounded," Danny said. "So don't be stupid. We're not with the Alliance. We're here to spread the cure to the Red Flu and take those sons of bitches down." There was no response from either man. Danny shrugged. "If you don't want our help, that's fine. We'll find someone that does."

Danny waited until Eddie was behind him before he began to retreat, just in case Eddie decided to deviate from the plan, to try to convince his friend to join them. They had already accomplished at least one goal by this visit. Whether or not Rob knew it, he was now immune from the virus and would soon be passing that immunity on to the remainder of his little group.

"Wait!" They were almost to the treeline before Rob spoke. Danny paused. "I remember you. Green. You're special forces."

"Eddie told me that you were a Marine Raider. That was a good move you pulled. You almost bucked me." Eddie snorted at the comment, making Danny smile slightly. A little flattery never hurt. "You don't trust me – I get that. I don't trust you either. I'm here because I trust Ward and Ward trusts you. So you tell me how this is going to work."

"Come on in," Rob said finally. "This is Eric."

Danny nodded at Burk to join them as they followed the men into the cabin. There were several other people there, and Danny could hear the sounds of children's voices in the other room before Eric pulled the door shut. Danny leaned against the wall near the fireplace to give him the best view of the room, exchanging glances with Burk, who had remained by the door. They would have to be careful here, not wanting to put kids in danger.

"Do you really have the cure?" Rob asked.

"We do. It fact, you're already immune," Danny replied. At the men's incredulous looks, Danny nodded towards Eddie. "Ward here is a contagious carrier. He gave it to you when he got in your face. In about an hour you can pass it along to anyone around you, simply by breathing. Show them the video, Eddie."

For a few minutes there was silence as Eddie played the video for the two men.

Rob looked up. "There are some locals… They're sick. You can cure them?"

"Use these." Burk tossed the man a package of syringes that they had brought with them in case they were unwilling to believe in the contagious cure. Eric disappeared into the other room for a moment, presumably to pass along the package, and reappeared with two additional men. From their stances, Danny guessed more marines. Eddie had been correct about where to come to find a resistance group.

"So, what can we help you gentlemen with?" Rob asked. "As lovely as it was to give us the cure, I imagine you had another reason for tracking us down."

Danny jumped right in. "From what I've seen, the Alliance is full of hacks who barely know how to hold a gun. So how are they maintaining their control?"

The snide comment drew a few chuckles.

"They restrict information in and out," Eric replied. "Jamming the signals. We put a tower up in the mountains a few months back, and within days they had knocked it out. No idea how they found it, dumb luck or a spy."

"My commanding officer met with the Alliance leaders a few days back," Danny replied. "We passed along the cure and information on how to spread it and were told that the Alliance would handle distribution in this area. I'm guessing that hasn't happened?"

Given the angry glances around the room, Danny really didn't need verbal confirmation but Rob responded anyway. "Those bastards are lying through their teeth. Just yesterday they had teams come through town, telling everyone to watch out for people without masks. That there was a group out there trying to spread the Red Flu. They didn't say anything about a cure."

"Do you know where the signal is coming from?" Burk asked.

"Sugar mountain, about twenty clicks south. There's an old radio station powered by a dam there."

"You haven't thought about taking it out?" Danny questioned. One of the men standing at the wall shifted. "You have something to say, soldier?"

"We cased the place, but we'd need to take out the dam to take out the signal permanently, sir. We don't have that type of explosives available."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Explosives I can help with. Anything else you need?"

"It would be hard to take out the dam with just the four of us. Any chance your team wants to volunteer?" Rob asked, giving him an apprising look.

Danny shook his head. "I'm just the driver. You want reinforcements, you have to talk to Burk over there."

Clearly surprised, Rob looked over to Burk. "You look like Navy. What type of guys are we talking about?"

Burk grinned. "Well, as Tex would say, we're a real coalition of the living."


	21. Chapter 21

I was sooooo excited to see a picture of Marissa on set! For those of you that asked, if you are on Twitter you can see it on the Marissa Neitling Fans page. I noticed that the guy that originally posted the picture made his account private, so I am wondering if it has a spoiler of some kind. Thoughts?

I posted the one-shot that I mentioned yesterday (we were on the same page Guest from Nov. 13th! - it's a story without the virus so minimal angst!) and I have a few other ideas for stories so I may not update this story as much, but I won't leave you all hanging. I love this storyline!

Now back to our story!

CHAPTER 21

Kara was startled by the knock at the door. She had been in the process of unpacking her hospital bags and putting everything away in the hotel room that was serving as their temporary home. Not that they would be here long, but she had to do something to keep busy. She was going to need to find a lot of ways to occupy herself over the next few days to avoid going crazy until Danny returned. Swinging the door open, she was thrilled to see Alisha.

"I heard you moved back over here," Alisha remarked as she plopped down on the bed.

"I am _done_ with hospital rooms," Kara sighed. "Not that this is all that much different. But at least I don't have six different people poking me."

"And no unwelcome visitors," Alisha commented.

Kara gave Alisha an exasperated look. "Does anything stay a secret with this crew?"

Alisha laughed. "Nope. Not only does Tex have a big mouth, but Burk dressed down Lopez in front of half the ensigns. Asked him if he had an olfaction issue. Poor guy had no clue what he was being asked. Carlton does have a way with words."

"Lopez didn't do anything wrong," Kara said with a sigh. "I said Rebecca could come in."

"Maybe not, but Burk made it clear that Rebecca is barred from any building that you are in," Alisha replied. "I think he would have barred her from coming near Danny if he thought he could get away with it. You know that none of us like her, right? She's like that character in a romance novel who you instantly dislike because she's there for the sole purpose of trying to cause trouble."

"I've never understood why you like those stories," Kara replied with an amused shake of her head. "The plots are always so far-fetched."

"Says the woman who is basically living a romance novel!" Alisha responded. "Think about it! Hot Navy SEAL meets and falls head over heels in love with gorgeous Navy lieutenant – so much in love that he risks his career to pursue her in clear violation of Navy regulations, and when the lieutenant is sent on a dangerous mission by her Captain, the SEAL fights with his superiors to allow him to accompany her because he would rather die with her than live without her. Then the gorgeous lieutenant volunteers to be infected by the most deadly plague known to humankind in order to test a vaccine but when she reacts badly to the vaccine we discover that – surprise! – she's pregnant. So our SEAL is forced to face the prospect of losing not just the love of his life but also his unborn child. Until a miracle! A cure is found! And so the SEAL, the lieutenant, and their baby all live happily ever after! Rebecca totally messes up the happily ever after part of the story."

Kara laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Told that way, any love story would sound dramatic," Kara countered once she could finally speak again. "Mason and Bertrise? Brave young Navy lieutenant, fresh out of the academy, falls in love with a beautiful voice over the radio. One day while searching for the voice he craves, he learns that she is immune to a deadly plaque that is destroying the world but that her ship has run out of water, and convincing his Captain to send a rescue party to save her from certain death on the seas! In thanks, the lovely young lady not only donates her blood to help develop a cure to the horrible illness, but devotes her young life to the care of the crew on the ship that saved her."

"The Captain and Doctor Scott?" Alisha added slyly. "Handsome, confident Captain finds himself drawn towards a beautiful doctor who challenges him at every move when they are thrown together on a mission to save the world. Will his marriage vows be enough to stop him from falling for her?"

"The Captain would never have…" Kara started, but Alisha threw up her hands before the sentence was finished.

"I know, I know. But it would make a really good story!" Alisha wagged her eyebrows up and down. "Anyway, back to the original topic. You and Danny have a perfect love story. Rebecca needs to just go away. Which gives me an idea! I'll have to ask Bacon to put some tabasco sauce in Rebecca's coffee!"

Kara knew exactly what Alisha was referring to. It was the night after the near-botched mission at Gitmo. Kara had been doing sit-ups in their cabin when Alisha tracked her down, stepping over Kara to plop on her bunk.

" _Tex started an impromptu 'escape from the Russians' party in the mess hall," Alisha said. "People were asking about you."_

" _We were late. We almost blew the mission. Not really a reason to celebrate," Kara said harshly as she did another sit-up, attempting to exhaust herself enough to sleep. To forget Danny's words. To forget the look on his face. To forget the ache in her chest._

" _So you were off by a couple of seconds," Alisha replied with a shrug. "No big deal."_

" _Not to Lieutenant Green." Kara whispered, ignoring the hot tears burning in the back of her eyes._

" _Lieutenant Green? Since when do you call Danny 'Lieutenant Green'?" Alisha demanded. When Kara didn't answer, Alisha spoke again. "Danny wasn't at the party either. What happened, Kara?"_

 _As badly as Kara wanted to tell her friend, she couldn't put Alisha in that spot. "I can't…."_

" _Please don't shut me out, Kara."_

 _Kara looked up, startled by the sudden change in Alisha's voice. "What's wrong?"_

 _Alisha wiped a tear away. "It's just…Sarah, my mother, my friends. Everyone is probably dead and you're the only friend I have left in the world and we're stuck on this ship for who knows how long. We should be able to talk to each other without worrying about 'Navy rules.' What are they going to do? Court martial us?"_

 _Kara stared at Alisha, startled by the outpouring of emotion. Getting up from the floor, Kara sat on the bunk next to Alisha, both of them sitting with their backs against the cabin wall, feet hanging over the edge of Alisha's bunk. "You have lots of friends on the ship. Carlton called you 'baby girl' the other day – he only says that to people he likes." Kara paused for a moment, her need to talk about Danny warring with her fear of getting Alisha in trouble. "Danny slowed down before we reached the Vyerni. He wanted me to jump early. That's why we were late. And when we got back …. He broke things off. Told me to stay away from him. Said he lost his 'focus' because of me."_

 _Kara didn't mention the other thing that Danny had said. It was too personal. She had never imagined that the first time he said those words (if he said them at all) would be in the middle of a fight, just before he ended things. Who knew if he even meant it. Just something that he said in the heat of the moment, never to be repeated._

" _What a jerk!" Alisha exclaimed. "He blamed you?! Danny wasn't even supposed to go on this mission. He knocked Rowler off the team so he could take his place. If anyone is to blame, it's him."_

" _It doesn't matter," Kara replied with a sigh. "He was right. If we hadn't broken the rules, if we hadn't gotten involved, none of this would have happened."_

 _For a moment the two women were silent. Then Alisha spoke again. "If you want, I can put tabasco sauce in his coffee cup. Maybe that will bring him back to his sense. Or at least make for an interesting morning in the officer's mess."_

 _Taken aback for a moment, Kara laughed until she cried. The image of Danny unknowingly taking a swig of tabasco-laced coffee was too ridiculous. Once Kara stopped laughing, she turned to Alisha, giving the other woman's hand a squeeze. "You are a good friend, Alisha Granderson. Now, let me change and we'll go see if Bacon still has some of that chocolate cake."_

"No need for tabasco sauce," Kara said with a smile. "Rebecca is just an ex-girlfriend we happened to run into here in New London. We'll probably never see her again."

Alisha wrinkled her nose. "I thought that too, but she and Doctor Morrison just volunteered to join Doctor Milowsky on Solace. So you'll all be heading back to Norfolk together."

Kara opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything remotely appropriate to say. _Would she ever be able to get rid of Rebecca?_

"Tabasco sauce sound more appealing now?" Alisha asked, and Kara gave a grudging laugh. She looked at the woman that had become her best friend over the past year.

"I am really going to miss you."

"Me too," Alisha replied. "But right now we're both here and I'm not on duty for two hours. So tell me all about this new job at Norfolk."

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"Why not just call up the wife and blast the thing?" Tex asked as the men bent over the blueprints.

"Signals are jammed," Danny explained, ignoring the baffled looks they were receiving from Rob Bushay and his men. Trying to translate Tex into ordinary English took too much effort.

"Besides, it's a heavily populated area and Kirkland's never hit a target that small," Burk added. "We wouldn't want him to miss."

"We could head back up the trail and call in the helicopter," Wolf suggested. "That reduces the risk of civilian casualties."

"Too risky. The Alliance might have air to surface missiles," Danny replied.

"So we go with the original plan?" Rob asked, looking towards Danny, who in turn looked to Burk, raising his eyebrows. Danny was finding it harder than anticipated deferring to Burk. Not because he was worried about Burk's ability to lead the team – Carlton was a damn good soldier and would have made a damn fine special force operator – but after a year of leading this team through missions, being the person to make the final call, knowing that he could (and had) led men to their deaths, taking a backseat was … challenging. The responsibility that Danny felt towards his team hadn't vanished with the change of command. If anything, he felt guilty for the burden he was placing on them, especially on Burk. Danny wondered if that feeling of responsibility was why Captain Chandler had decided to continue traveling with the Nathan James rather than staying in St. Louis, as President Michener had suggested. If Captain Chandler had struggled to cede control to Slattery not only because he had commanded the Nathan James for years, but also because he had not wanted to place such a heavy mantel of responsibility entirely on Slattery's shoulders (no matter how capable the XO was).

"I'll lead the first team – Wolf, Tex, and Miller. We'll take out the perimeter guards and any reinforcements. Bushay, you and your men will clear the tower. Green, you're in charge of the second team – Cruz and Ward. You'll blow the dam. Rickman will stay with the vehicles. That work for everyone?"

It was Eddie that responded. "What was it that Caroline used to say – one for all and all for one?"

Danny groaned as everyone laughed. "The only thing that would make that joke worse was if Caro was here to tell it."

A sudden tap over the coms stopped the levity. Two taps. Someone was coming.

"You expecting company?" Danny asked Rob, who shook his head. "Get your people out the back. Wolf and Eddie – go with them. Tex, you and I will cover the sides of the building."

"You know," Rob commented. "For a man that is merely the driver you sure do give a lot of orders."

Burk smirked at Danny. "Old habits. The man keeps forgetting that he's on paternity leave. How's daddy boot camp going, Green? You learned to change a diaper yet?"

"You should try it sometime, Burk," Tex called back as they headed towards the back door. "Those suckers are surprisingly wiggly."

As he snuck around the corner of the building, Danny wished that it wasn't still light outside. The late afternoon sunlight made a stealth approach much more difficult. But as he got closer, Danny realized that this wasn't the Alliance and stealth was probably unnecessary.

"I know they brought the cure! Please! You have to tell me!" It was an older man, his clothing indicating that he was a farmer. The pickup truck that he had driven down the road was piled with what Danny thought were lumps of clothing until they moved, revealing people. Presumably sick people.

"Nobody's here, Clayton." Rob leaned towards the man until their faces were almost touching. "I'm sorry that your family is sick but we brought by the extra supplies we had this morning. There is nothing else that I can do to help you."

"I know those soldiers came here! Jonas saw them get in the car with Victor after he dropped off the supplies. We just want the cure. I won't tell anyone!"

 _Damn_. It had been a mistake to send Eddie and Rickman with Rob's men this morning while they "distributed supplies" and – by their presence – the cure. But neither Burk nor Danny trusted Rob or his people enough to feel comfortable allowing them to leave without an escort. They had thought that Eddie's presence could be explained as an old marine buddy of Rob's. Apparently the cover hadn't worked.

"Look, I only have a couple doses. There's more on the way but for now, this is it. And you can't tell _anyone_."

From the corner of his eye, Danny could see Rob pass Clayton a bag of needles. A minute later the man had hightailed it back to his truck and was headed back down the driveway, apparently not wanting to give Rob a chance to change his mind and take back the precious cure.

Once Cruz confirmed that the truck had left the yard, Danny approached Rob. "Will he keep his mouth closed?"

Rob shook his head. "He's not a tattle but he's dumber than a rock. He'll tell someone. We need to leave now. I'll try to keep us on side roads for as long as possible, but we might end up walking the last couple of miles. You game?"

"Hell man," Tex retorted. "What do you think we do all day? Walking twenty miles is a nothing compared to the workouts that taskmaster puts us through. Maybe this time I can avoid getting shot in the ass."

There was a short pause before Danny spoke. "He's an acquired taste. Believe me, I know."

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An hour later Danny found himself, by design, riding in the bed of a pickup with Cruz, lying under a handful of blankets as Eddie sat in the cab with Eric. Although he and Cruz had easily fallen back into their usual routine of working together, Danny was aware of the underlying tension that surfaced when they were in the same room. Not that Danny could blame Cruz. His reaction to the man kissing his sister had not exactly invited further conversation. Kara had picked up on the tension the day before and, when he finally told her why he was annoyed with Cruz, she had found the story hilarious. Then she had reminded him that Caro was an _adult_ and didn't need her brother's _permission_ to date anyone, that Danny _liked_ Teylor and that he was a _good guy_ , and, as the final nail in Danny's coffin, reminded Danny that he had known her mother for all of three hours before informing the woman that he planned to become her son-in-law. Seeing things from the other side, Danny had realized just how lucky he had been that Debbie Foster had been willing to take him at his word that his intentions towards Kara were honorable.

 _"Hi friend," Cruz said with a smirk as he passed Danny on his way into the bowling alley with a load of equipment that O'Connor needed to get the power going. Danny bit down a sharp retort, knowing it would just lead to more jabs from Burk and Tex once Cruz shared the story. Actually, maybe not Tex. The man had turned out to be surprisingly sympathetic and supportive when it came to women problems. Which Danny seemed to have in spades these days._

 _He had been so relieved when Kara learned that her mother was alive, knowing how fragile Kara was right now given the events in Baltimore he had worried about whether she could handle bad news. Watching them embrace had given him hope for the future again. And then Kara had introduced him - as well as Cruz and O'Connor - as her friends. Making no distinction among them. Not indicating in any way that Danny was different from the other guys, that he was special, that right now his child was growing inside of her. And while Danny understood, in a way, Kara's decision not to tell her mother about the baby and be faced with the decision of whether to leave the Nathan James (he refused to countenance the idea of her stay in Norfolk without him), her failure to acknowledge him chaffed._

 _Turning around with his arms loaded up, Danny found himself face to face with Debbie Foster._ _"Mrs. Foster. Can I help you with something?"_

 _The woman stepped closer until they were toe-to-toe, separated only by the armful of gear that Danny was still holding. "I see the way you look at my daughter. I want to know what your intentions are."_

 _Danny froze for a moment, the question so unexpected, before answering honestly. "I'm in love with your daughter, ma'am. My hope and intent is to marry her, if she'll have me."_

 _Debbie smiled, a sheen of tears covering eyes that looked so much like Kara's. Then she pulled a necklace from around her neck, squeezing it tightly in her hand. "This is the ring that Kara's father gave me when we got married. It's not a diamond but I think Kara would like it."_

 _"It's beautiful. Thank you." Danny set down his load to reach out to take the necklace, the lovely purple stone sparkling in the afternoon sun, tucking it into his ammo pocket where it would be safe. "Does this mean that I have your blessing?"_

 _"Yes, you have my blessing," Debbie said with a grin, patting his cheek as she turned around to head back to the bowling alley. "I like you. You'll make cute babies."_

Later, once he had given Kara the ring, he had told her the story. But neither one of them had figured out how Debbie knew that Kara was pregnant. Perhaps there was something to Debbie's claim of maternal instinct after all.

Remembering his own turmoil that day, and how much worse Debbie could have made it, had forced Danny to face his own behavior in connection with Caro and Cruz. Kara had been right, of course. There was no reason for him to be irritated at Cruz. Teylor was a good man. Caro could do much worse.

"I asked Caro to come back to Norfolk with us," Danny said, breaking the silence.

There was a moment of silence before Cruz replied. "She make a decision?"

"Not before we left," Danny said. "You know that you don't need my permission to ask my sister on a date, right? I am no longer in your chain of command but, even if I were, there is no rule against dating a civilian relative. If that's why you didn't ask her before."

"I didn't ask before because it just seemed wrong," Cruz explained. "We're friends, you and me. You don't date a friend's sister."

"You kissed her," Danny said dryly. "So kissing is okay but dating isn't? That seems kind of backwards to me."

There was another pause and Danny knew that Cruz was composing his thoughts. "Everything in New Orleans was pretty messed up. That stuff with Burk and Ravit? It really made me think, you know? How quickly you can lose someone. So when I saw Caro, I thought, well, screw it. I'm going to take my chances. But she doesn't seem to feel the same way."

Danny couldn't help but laugh. All indicators were that Cruz had it pretty bad for Caro. He felt a little sorry for the guy. "Caro's not shy. If she didn't like you, she would have smacked you for kissing her."

"Really?" Cruz sounded hesitant, unusual for the man. He definitely was in uncharted territory.

Danny rolled his eyes, wondering if this is how Tex had felt back when he and Kara were still in the process of sorting things out. "Look, Caro is irritating, unpredictable, and stubborn as all hell. But she's also straightforward and loyal. If you ask, she'll tell you where you stand. Just make sure that you don't string her along."

"Or you'll kick my ass?" Cruz asked, slightly amused.

"Hell no," Danny replied. "Caroline's wrath is far worse than anything that I could possibly do to you. Just don't come crawling to me for help. You are on your own."


	22. Chapter 22

THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M FOR VIOLENCE. (Similar events have happened on the show but I wanted to warn you anyway.)

Glad that everyone liked the Tabasco scene! I loved writing it! And I've been so excited to see evidence that Marissa is on set. Now we just need confirmation that Rhona is there and filming - but I know that the powers that be are going to drag that out until the last minute.

 _No name_ \- I haven't seen Olympus has Fallen but I will go check it out. :)

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts about how the Massachusetts Alliance plot is being wrapped up and especially the conversation between Rachel and Kara and where you think the story is going next. :)

CHAPTER 22

"You up for a visitor?" Rachel inquired as she popped her head into the door of the ballroom where Kara was sitting by the window, Frankie dozing on her lap, naked except for a diaper. Halsey lifted a lazy head to glance at the visitor and then settled back to sleep as he recognized her scent, continuing to bask in the warm morning sun. Kara smiled and waved the other woman into the room.

"Of course. I'm just getting Frankie some sun," Kara explained wearily. "Doctor Taka said it's the best treatment for jaundice. Well, that and eating constantly. Which has not been a problem."

In fact, Frankie had wanted to nurse most of the previous night, resulting in Kara getting little to no sleep. Thankfully Andrea had come by before her shift this morning to take Frankie for a tour of the hotel and let Kara get a couple hours of shuteye. Once again Kara had been reminded of how amazing the Nathan James crew was – and how much she was going to miss them.

"She's looking better than yesterday," Rachel commented, pulling up a chair next to Kara. "I see that Miss Frankie has her own heater."

Kara laughed. "Andrea was worried about Frankie getting cold so she had a couple of ensigns from engineering set it up. It reminds me a little of the woodstove we had when I was a kid. I used to love sitting in front of it with a cup of hot chocolate."

"I used to do something similar in London," Rachel replied, her face far away for a moment. "Michael had a flat there, although he rarely used it due to his travel schedule. The building was in Central London, built long before central heating, and was freezing for nine months of the year. But it had the biggest fireplace. Old style, designed to be used for cooking, no frills, taking up half of the wall. Sometimes we would make a mound of blankets and curl up before a roaring fire and drink steaming cups of tea all day, just talking."

"That sounds amazing," Kara said with a sigh. "Curling up before a warm fire with nothing to do all day. I don't think that Danny and I have spent an entire day together, just the two of us, ever."

"Once one you are back in Norfolk, you'll have more time and privacy," Rachel replied. "Although Frankie here seems to be pretty attached to her mama so you might have to let her tag along."

Kara chuckled before giving Rachel a more serious look. "It must be hard. Not knowing what happened to Michael."

Rachel glanced away. "China was hit far harder by the virus than the States, due to the population concentration. Once I learned that he was still there … that he hadn't left … I knew that he was gone. I had to let Michael go, let any hope of his survival go, so that I could start living my own life again. I made my peace with his death."

"Because of Captain Chandler?" Kara asked tentatively.

"What?" Rachel seemed startled by the question, before giving a self-deprecating smile. "Yes, well that was part of it, of course. No man wants his partner to be thinking about another man. But we never completely move on from those we have loved. Tom still mourns Darien deeply and I expect that he will for the remainder of his life. I had to let Michael go for my own sanity. I could no longer stay in limbo, the way Mike has done."

"We all worry about the Commander, after what happened in Norfolk," Kara said sadly. "But how can he stop looking for his children? Hoping that his girls are out there, somewhere, alive. I can't imagine what I would do if Frankie …"

"I don't know that he can, even knowing how unlikely he is to find his children," Rachel replied. "For me, though, I could see that keeping that hope alive for Michael would destroy me eventually. Destroy the chance that I had to be happy with another man. Destroy the chance I had to build a new life for myself. One that might, someday, even include a family of my own."

"What if he wasn't dead? If he came to find you?" Kara asked hesitantly.

"I would be thrilled to see him," Rachel replied. "But things could never return to the way they were. That is part of what I made peace with. Whether or not Michael is alive, Michael and my relationship is over. There are certain things – like a cozy fire – that will always remind me of Michael. But he is no longer the man that I want to spend my life with. Even if he was easier to muck along with."

Kara giggled at the aggravation in Rachel's last sentence. She glanced around quickly to make sure that the Captain was nowhere in sight – he could be surprisingly quiet – before she teased. "Captain Chandler is not used to being questioned. But, truthfully, he probably finds the challenge appealing. Assuming that he eventually wins, of course. Or at least thinks he has won."

Rachel arched an eyebrow at Kara. "One of these days you are going to need to tell me about the beginning of your relationship with Danny."

"No ma'am. There is far too much chance of that information getting back to our commanding officer," Kara replied smartly. "I do wonder…"

"If Danny still loves Rebecca?" Rachel asked when Kara trailed off, easily guessing what was on Kara's mind. Kara nodded. "In some ways, I imagine that the answer is yes. From my observations of Danny and Rebecca together, which admittedly have been limited, Danny seems to care about her welfare. But keep in mind that Danny made a choice to end his relationship with Rebecca, Kara. That is very different than a relationship terminated by death or forces outside of one's control."

Frankie chose that moment to open her eyes and look up at Kara, her forehead scrunching as she considered whether she was comfortable or should start screaming her head off. Gathering Frankie into her arms, Kara cooed at the infant, noticing how much like Danny she looked when she was disgruntled. "Mama's here. And look, it's Auntie Rachel."

"That reminds me of why I came here in the first place," Rachel said, her hand brushing against the infant's head. "We got the results of Frankie's bloodwork back. She's immune to the virus."

"Is it permanent?" Kara asked. Rachel had been uncertain whether Frankie would be born with permanent immunity, or if she would merely receive Kara's antibodies, leaving the infant with only temporary protection.

"Yes, but not for the reason that I expected," Rachel explained. "Frankie is naturally immune."

"How is that possible?" Kara stared at Rachel, confused. "Natural immunity is an inherited trait and neither Danny nor I are immune."

"You weren't, obviously," Rachel replied. "I never tested Danny's blood, though, since he didn't qualify for the vaccine trial. Quite honestly, at the time I believed that natural immunity was so rare that I didn't think to check the crew before distributing the vaccine."

"But you checked Danny's blood every time he left the ship to see if he had been exposed," Kara objected, confounded by the knowledge that Frankie – and presumably Danny – was naturally immune. "Wouldn't something have shown up?"

"I was only looking for signs of the virus – not signs of immunity," Rachel explained. "In Bertrise's case, knowing that she was naturally immune, I deliberately exposed her blood to the virus in order to isolate the gene in her blood that provided her with that immunity. The process is very different."

"Are you certain?"

"As certain as I can be without testing Danny's blood. Since he wasn't around to provide a sample, I located his sister and determined that she is also naturally immune. Which strongly suggests that it is a familial trait and not a random occurrence."

"That means his mother and brother, they might be immune too, right?" Kara asked, hesitantly, barely able to believe what Rachel was saying. Immunity would increase the likelihood of Joanne and Christopher Green's survival exponentially.

"Caroline Green informed me that her father died of the virus, leading me to believe that Caroline, and probably Danny, inherited the gene that provides immunity from their mother. As for their brother, there is no way of knowing whether he also has the gene. Natural immunity is rather complex, and we still don't fully understand how immunity is inherited. I have received information on several families where all members were immune, indicating that the gene is dominant, and others where only one member of the family survived. Doctor Milowsky has been taking the lead on the research and has theorized that a second gene may be required to activate the gene that provides immunity. A light switch, if you will. But he hadn't been able to determine what the second gene is."

"Does anyone else know?" Kara asked.

"Just Captain Chandler," Rachel explained. "I told Caroline Green that I needed a sample of her blood to run the test on Frankie. I haven't shared the results with her."

"Could you wait until Danny is back to tell her? Maybe tell them together?" Kara asked. _Assuming that Danny came back_. Kara pushed the thought aside.

"Of course," Rachel replied. "I would like to inform Doctor Milowsky of the results. This information would be extremely useful to his research."

"I understand," Kara replied.

Rachel stood to leave. "Oh, you should know that Solace made port this morning. Doctor Morrison and Miss Carlton are currently assisting with the installation of the equipment, which will take a day or two. Danny should return from Massachusetts just before the ship leaves for Norfolk."

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Danny lay flat in the dirt several hundred meters from his objective, Ward and Cruz to his right. Two clicks over the radio indicated that Burk and Cobra team were on the move. If all went according to plan, within ten minutes Cobra should have taken out the guards and established a perimeter. Two clicks meant it was safe for the other teams to proceed. Three clicks meant retreat. Danny knew that the next few minutes of waiting for those clicks would feel like an eternity.

Focusing back on his own responsibilities, Danny considered the dam again. It was an earthen dam built back in the 1920s, one that had withstood almost a hundred years of pounding water without issue. Destroying it would take some creativity. The trick was going to be finding a weak spot, creating a crack in the dam itself, and then relying on the force of the water to finish the job. Rob had thought, based on a vague memory from an elementary school fieldtrip, that fish ladders and windows had been installed in the dam back in the 1970s. If so, those areas would be weaker and could be exploited. But there was no way of knowing whether Rob's memory was correct until they were inside, one of the many reasons why taking out the personnel inside the dam needed to be done as quickly and quietly as possible. Without any firm date on the interior structure of the dam, Danny needed as much time as possible to determine where to set the charges, and he didn't need reinforcements showing up. Although he had brushed up on his familiarity with explosives following the events on the Vyerni and Solace, it was by no means his area of expertise and there was going to be a fair amount of winging it going on.

Two clicks. Indicating to Cruz and Ward that it was time to move, Danny crept as silently as possible through the trees, avoiding the patches of dry leaves as he headed directly towards the exterior door to the dam. In the two hours that they had been watching, only a single guard had been present, the man giving away his location by the cigarettes that he was chain smoking. In less than a minute the man was in the dirt and Danny was grinding out the cigarette with his boot, concerned about sparking a fire in the pine needles that blanketed the ground. Leaving Ward to guard the door, Danny and Cruz slipped inside, taking a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dim, artificial glow in the room around them. They headed down the hallway, Cruz on point, until the sound of voices drifted towards them. Listening closely, Danny thought he heard mention of a failed lever. Nothing to indicate that their presence had been detected. Peeking around the corner, he could see two men.

He looked at Cruz, holding up his fingers. One. Two. Three.

In less time than it took to round the corner, they had the men on the floor, their arms zipped behind them and their mouths covered. And Danny realized that they had hit paydirt. The control room. Flipping through the cameras, Danny located only a half dozen more personnel inside the dam. And Rob's shaky memories had been correct. Not only were their fish ladders, but there was another area of the wall that had been dug out and appeared to be half completed. No doubt construction that had been halted as the pandemic began.

"Take these guys to Ward and meet me at the end of the hall."

One of the more challenging aspects of this mission was that they needed to empty the place before blowing it to kingdom come. Not that Danny was bothered by the idea of killing a few Alliance sympathizers in general, but tying up a man and letting him drown was a different story.

Reaching the door to the turbine room where four of the remaining targets were sitting, Danny fastened the door with a zip-tie and continued down the passage to the fish ladders. He could tell the instant that he reached the room what the men inside were doing, the sweet scent of pot unmistakable. Danny shook his head, wondering if the Alliance could make this any easier. Cruz gave a short whistle to signal his arrival and Danny rolled his eyes as he indicated the next room, Cruz raising his eyebrows in amusement as he realized what was going on.

These two were even easier to knock out. While Cruz was dragging the bodies down the hallway, Danny took the time to case the room. The fish ladders were here, as well as several glass windows designed to allow visitors to watch the fish moving along the ladders. But the weakest spot, by far, was an area that was half dug out of the wall, either to expand the fish ladder or add some sort of elevator system. Danny plastered the room with charges. Now to finish emptying the place.

"Flashbang," he breathed to Cruz as he snapped the ziptie trapping the remaining men, who continued to be oblivious to anything going on around them. Danny threw open the door and Cruz tossed the grenade, both men turning their faces to avoid being blinded by the flash of light, before thundering into the room. The men put up no resistance, despite having the greater number, their shock at being caught unaware apparent. Leaving Cruz to handle cleanup, Danny set the remainder of the charges in the control room. Even if the dam wasn't completely destroyed, it should be rendered non-operational without significant repairs.

Following Cruz out into the night, Danny spoke into his radio for the first time. "Vulture to Cobra. Objective complete. Do we have a green light?"

"This is Cobra. We have lost contact with Tiger. Attempting to reestablish." Burk's voice was calm, but Danny knew Burk's voice well enough to hear the note of concern. Burk did not think that this was an equipment issue. Rob's group was in some sort of trouble.

"Secondary rendezvous?"

"Roger that."

Danny turned to Ward and Cruz. "Leave them here, tied. We need to bust it to the secondary location."

Running through the trees towards the building housing the radio tower, the men didn't bother trying to hide his approach. As anticipated, Wolf and Tex were waiting for them just out of sight near the rear door to the building.

"Keep your heads down," Danny muttered as he hit the radio control, setting off the explosives at the dam. A thunderous explosion filled the air, the sky lighting up as the charges blew chunks of concrete in every direction, and the tower going dark in an instant. The door to the building opened and several men came tearing out to investigate, running directly into Vulture's path, no ability to evade the team as they circled them and unarmed them without firing a shot. Sliding on his night vision googles, Danny followed Wolf through the door, unable to shake a sense of unease. Rob was a ranger. His men were trained marines. For them to have lost contact, something bad must have happened. Danny did not want to fall into the same trap.

A moment later, Danny's instincts were confirmed. Wolf signaled to stop, leaning down to check the pulse of a body lying to the side of the hallway. Taking a step closer, Danny recognized Eric. Wolf gave a thumbs up sign, indicating that the man was alive, although it was impossible to tell how injured the man was.

"Ward, take him and meet up with Burk. Now." Danny hit his mic. "Sending New London your way with a package."

"Roger that. Mother made contact." Burk replied. "Boogey is twenty mics out."

So the Captain was sending the helicopter. There were too many of them to evacuate in one trip, but having some firepower to cover their escape would make getting the hell out of Massachusetts a tad easier. And Danny suspected that they were going to need it.

A moment later the hall split, forcing them up or down the stairs.

"Split up?" Wolf asked.

"No, that's what did in the rangers," Danny surmised. "Separated them and picked them off one at a time. I'll go down. Stay back but do not lose visual contact."

"You trying to get yourself killed?" Tex huffed. "I'll do it. Moron."

Tex was halfway through the lower hallway before the side door slammed open, putting him on the floor. Danny winced as the older man hit the floor hard, knowing that Tex was going to be hurting in the morning. But Wolf was ready, taking out both men before they had time to move a step further.

"God, my head!" Tex howled as he dragged the men to the side of the hallway and tied their hands. "You owe me Green."

"Help Tex check the rest of the hallway," Danny said to Cruz. A moment later Tex and Cruz confirmed that the rooms were clear of enemies. There was still no sign of Rob or the other marines. As they crept towards the upper level, Danny almost missed the trip wire on the third to top stair. Such a trap indicated a sophisticated level of military knowledge, one that didn't square with the ease with which they had taken out the dam. Why protect the tower while leaving the power source – the dam – so vulnerable? Something about the situation felt off, but Danny didn't have time to consider the implications. Right now the highest priority was finding the missing marines, making sure that the jamming signal was dead, and getting the hell out of here. Stepping over the wire, the team slowly advanced to the top floor. A glow appeared under the door of a room at the far end of the hallway. As they cautiously approached, checking each room for signs of an ambush, Danny could hear the muffled sound of someone moaning. The sound of someone being beaten, being tortured. Despite knowing that it was trap, that they were likely walking into a hostage situation, Danny had no choice but to swing the door open.

And was blindsided by the sight before him. There was a man lying on the ground as an assailant stuck a knife stuck into him over and over again. But it wasn't Rob lying there. Instead, Rob was the one kneeling over the other man, drenched in blood, his knife buried in the other man's stomach. Several other men sat in the corner, their terror and panic evident, while the missing marines kept guard over them, their guns now trained on Vulture.

"What the hell are you doing?" Danny demanded.

"You have no idea what he has done," Rob snarled. The man on the gurgled, blood leaking from his mouth.

"I don't care what he's done, marine! We do not kill civilians. Call off your men and give me the knife. Now!"

Rob sat, his focus entirely on the man before him. As Danny got closer he could hear the man whispering. "Please Rob. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I didn't know. She was my sister for God's sake. You have to believe me."

"Rob. Give me the knife." Danny spoke loudly, trying to drown the other man out, hoping that he would get the hint and shut up. "We can still fix this. You haven't gone too far yet."

Rob looked up, finally, and Danny could see the tears streaking his face. He looked at his men and dropped the knife on the floor. "Put down your guns boys. You have been nothing but loyal. But this isn't your fight."

Danny moved forward as the marines lowered their guns, intending to kick the knife away from Rob, but he had only taken a single step before Rob pulled his pistol from its holster and shot himself in the head.


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you to everyone that is still reading and leaving reviews! I really, really, really appreciate it! Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

CHAPTER 23

Kara sat in the hospital cafeteria with Caroline Green, both of them listening intently for the whir of the helicopter returning from its second run to Massachusetts. This being Caro's first brush with the unique trepidation involved in waiting for someone (or perhaps two people) she loved to return from a mission, she had been frantic when she heard (from Rebecca of all people, who had learned the news from Doctor Milowsky as he prepared the hospital staff for trauma patients), that the TAC team was being extracted under apparent enemy fire and that there had been injuries. Now she sat absently petting Halsey, her motions mechanical. Kara was stoic. Over the past year, she had become used to these moments, times when all she could do was wait, as patiently as possible, hoping against hope that Danny would return and knowing that there was nothing she could do to change the outcome. She was thankful, however, that this hospital had a landing pad on the roof, which would allow the helicopter to ferry the returning team members here directly, as opposed to taking them to the Nathan James. Tex had been in the first group to return, along with Rickman, Eddie, Miller, and two injured men (one of whom had been DOA), and had immediately sought out Kara.

"Our boy decided to catch the second bus home but he's in one piece," Tex assured her, touching her hand gently. But Kara had known from Tex's face, and the blood staining his clothing, that things had not gone according to plan. When she pressed the older man for details, he had shaken his head. "This was a rough one, darling. He's going to need some time."

Glancing at Caro, she asked. "What about Cruz?"

Tex seemed taken aback by the question, before glancing at Caro, a look of comprehension crossing his face. "Same story."

"What does that mean?" Caro demanded as Tex walked away, her face white and strained.

Kara took Caro's hand. "It means something went wrong and they guys will be beating themselves up about it. I once heard Danny describe his job as a thousand hours of training, for five minutes of pure chaos, and a thousand hours of second-guessing yourself. In the moment, you have to trust your instinct and training, but sometimes it isn't enough. Things happen and you react and then you wonder what you could have done differently."

And the guys on the TAC team weren't the only ones that felt that way. Kara still woke up in a cold sweat recalling the day that the Immunes destroyed the labs, most of the missiles out of range before she even acted. If only she had realized what was happening, if only she had been a few seconds faster, if only they had decoded the flash drive from the immune quicker, if only there had been something more that she could have done, then so much death might have been prevented.

"But Danny wasn't in charge of the mission," Caro replied, her confusion evident.

"It doesn't matter." Kara shook her head, struggling to articulate for Caro the sense of duty that Danny – that they all – felt towards their missions, towards their teams. "Even if he wasn't in charge, Danny was the most experienced operator. He'll feel responsible for what happened, as though he could have prevented it somehow."

"How do you do this over and over again? The waiting. The worrying." Caro asked. "Does it ever get easier?"

Kara considered the question. "No, it never gets easier. But it becomes normal."

"But this is the last time, right? Danny will be teaching in Norfolk, so no more missions." Caro said with a sigh of relief. "He'll be safe."

"For now. But I know he won't stay in Norfolk forever." Kara gave a resigned smile. "He won't be able to stay at Norfolk for the same reasons that he had to go to Massachusetts. This is who he is. What he does. His way of helping people – saving people. I know that I can't change that part of who he is. No matter how hard it can be."

"I don't know if I could be that accepting," Caro said after a short pause, and Kara knew without asking that they were no longer talking about Danny. Kara's heart ached at the struggle that Caro was facing, wondering whether she could handle the pressure of loving a man who deliberately put himself in danger, wondering whether she wanted to, and wondering whether she had any choice in the matter. Because the world that they lived in now was precarious. Whether Danny or Teylor were on the Nathan James or in Norfolk or in Connecticut. Danger lurked everywhere. As Caro well knew from her own experience in Cornwall.

"You can. You will. For the right person."

The two women fell silent, each lost in her own thoughts. When she finally heard the helicopter approaching, Kara let out a sigh of relief, hugging Frankie to her chest tightly for a moment, yet knowing that she would not truly relax until the moment when she actually saw Danny.

Kara's heart leapt when Danny appeared in the doorway. Setting Frankie down in the bouncer that Bertrise had located the day prior (it had failed at the intended goal of getting Frankie to sleep by herself but did give Kara a place to set the infant for a few moments), Kara crossed the cafeteria to where Danny had knelt to greet Halsey.

"You okay?" she asked gently as he stood, raising a hand to brush his matted hair from his forehead.

With a weary sigh, Danny lifted his hands to grip her arms, lowering his head until his forehead rested against hers. "This guy - Eddie's friend Rob. He shot himself, killed himself, right in front of me."

Kara closed her eyes to hid how much the words shook her, her mind instantly turning, as Danny's must have, to the cruise ship. "Like Frankie."

"Apparently Rob blamed his brother-in-law for his wife's death, nobody is sure why. We had gone to the radio tower to take out the jamming signal. When Rob saw his brother-in-law there, he lost it, stabbing him to death. He even turned on one of his own men when he tried to intervene, knocking him unconscious. And then he killed himself."

"I am so sorry," Kara whispered.

"Eddie is blaming himself for trusting Rob, for introducing us to him. But I met the guy, Kara. We worked together on the plan. He was a marine ranger. He was well-trained. He seemed solid. He seemed no different than me or Burk or Cruz. His own guys swore that they had no idea this might happen. He just snapped. If one thing had been different – if we picked a different target, if Rob had been on another team, if his brother-in-law hadn't been there, if I had realized what was happening sooner… None of it would have happened."

"You couldn't have known, Danny," Kara whispered. "You couldn't have prevented it from happening."

"He left kids behind, Kara. Two girls. Five and seven." Danny's voice broke. "Do you remember that couple in Norfolk? The ones with the baby that walked by the day we went to your mother's apartment?"

"Yes," Kara replied, confused by the sudden change of topic but knowing that Danny needed to talk, to get this out.

"I saw them walk by and I knew that could have been us. You and me and Frankie. If just one thing had been different. If we weren't on the Nathan James when the virus began to spread. If the CDC has been operational and we didn't have to make the cure on the ship. If we had decided to leave the ship. And I knew how lucky we were. Because we didn't have to go it alone. Because no matter how difficult things were, we could depend on the Captain and the XO and Burk and Tex and Cruz. Hell, even Miller. We could trust them. Because the constant threat of death, the constant fear of betrayal – it changes us. It makes us capable of doing the unimaginable. Ruskov. El Toro. Granderson. Humada. Tom. Rob."

Kara's hands rose to cup his cheeks. "That might be true. Maybe we were lucky. But it doesn't change the fact that Rob made a choice. His actions weren't preordained. You said that one of Rob's own men tried to stop him. He could have backed down. He could have changed paths. Other people found a way to survive without going down that path. Look at Eddie or Caro or even that family we saw in Norfolk. They all managed despite the odds. And if our situation had been different, Danny, I _know_ that you would never have made the choices that Rob or Tom or Granderson made – no matter what we were facing."

Danny lifted his head to give her an exhausted smile. "I am beyond lucky to have you, you know that?"

"Don't you forget it," Kara replied smartly as she headed back to gather up Frankie and her mountain of gear ( _how did a tiny baby require so much stuff!_ ). Danny trailed behind her, his hand resting on Halsey as the dog pushed himself against Danny's leg, sensing that his person needed the comfort. Handing Frankie to Danny as she gathered everything, Kara hesitated before adding. "When we get back to Norfolk, you should talk to someone. We both should, actually. If nothing else, it will set a good example for the enlisted personnel and trainees. Seeing officers take advantage of the therapy program that Kelly Tophet is developing."

Staring down at Frankie, Danny nodded and Kara thought she saw a glimmer of tears in his eyes. "You're right. As usual."

"Now let's get some rest," Kara relied with a yawn. "I'm sure the Captain will want to debrief bright and early in the morning, and then Rachel wants to see us before the Nathan James leaves port."

"Something wrong?" Danny asked instantly, his voice concerned.

Kara kicked herself for saying anything. She hadn't planned to mention Rachel or the test results. Not after what Danny had been through already this evening. "No. It's good. Just unexpected. Frankie's blood test showed that she's immune to the virus. Naturally immune."

Danny looked puzzled. "Because you had the virus when you were pregnant?"

Kara shook her head. "Rachel checked Caro's blood. She is also naturally immune. Rachel thinks that Frankie inherited the gene for immunity from you."

"I'm naturally immune? But that means…" Danny's mouth dropped open as the implications sunk in. "My mother?"

"Most likely," Kara confirmed.

"Chris?"

Kara shook her head. "No way of knowing."

"Does Caro know?" Danny and Kara both looked across the cafeteria to his sister, who was standing very close to Cruz. She had seemed uncertain earlier, but there was nothing hesitant about the way she was gripping Cruz's hand at the moment.

"Not yet. Another thing to deal with in the morning."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny sat stoically while Doctor Milowsky drew his blood, although neither he nor Doctor Scott seemed to have any doubt that the test would show that Danny, like Caro and Frankie, was naturally immune to the virus. As a nurse, Caro had a number of detailed questions regarding the genes at issue, questions which Danny had tuned out once they passed his basic understanding of the science.

This was his and Kara's last stop before they boarded Solace, their first step away from the Nathan James and towards a new life in Norfolk. Danny had spent much of the morning holed up in a debriefing with the CO, XO and TAC team and when he had emerged the hotel that had been their home for the last week had become a ghost town. The Nathan James had made port promptly at 0900 to allow the crew to ferry the dismantled control center equipment from the hotel back to the ship and to reboard, as they prepared to move to the next designated stop – the naval base at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

With the Alliance's jamming equipment out of commission, the James had begun picking up radio signals from survivors as far north as Maine. And early reports from Hartford indicated that a flood of civilians had been pouring south across the Massachusetts border, dismantling the border controls put in place by the Alliance, as word spread that the cure to the virus had been found. But despite the apparent breakdown in the Alliance's control, nobody in the morning debriefing had been foolish enough to believe that the Alliance had completely collapsed. Given the risks associated with making port so close to Alliance territory, the Captain had decided to bypass a landing in Boston in favor of Portsmouth, which would allow the Nathan James to send teams throughout New England, and had arranged for an aerosol drop of the cure over Boston Common in two days. Although his hope for his friend's survival was minimal, Danny had attempted to reach Waldron Howe this morning to inform him of the drop, not surprised when his radio calls went unanswered. For smaller localities in Alliance territory, the XO had devised a new strategy. Rather than a prescheduled aerosol drop, the helicopter would land and drop off syringes with instructions for use in response to radio calls, relying on the locals to inoculate themselves and spread the cure to those around them. Such random stops were designed to make it difficult for the Alliance to predict, and sabotage, the efforts to spread the cure.

Following the debriefing, there had been a flurry of activity as he and Kara attempted to say goodbye to the two hundred odd crew members who had become their family. Garnett, Granderson, Slattery, Jeter, Bertrise, Wolf, Cruz, Miller, Nishioka, Mason, Rios, Bacon, O'Connor, Tex and Kat had all come by to wish them well. Both Kara and Andrea had been in tears when the engineer left. Bacon had given both Danny and Kara strict instructions on what Kara should, and should not, be eating while she was nursing. Kat had informed them that she planned to sign up for the CIC training program that Kara would be running out of Norfolk. Slattery had jokingly commented that Frankie was starting to leave the ugly newborn stage (earning himself a pointed look from Commander Garnett). For Danny, the hardest goodbye had been Burk. Although Carlton had been as composed as ever during the debriefing, Danny knew that the other man had been shaken by the events of the night before, and unlike Danny, Burk no longer had someone at home to talk to.

 _Pulling the man to the side, Danny spoke quietly. "You know it's not your fault. None of us had a clue what was going on in his head. Not even his own guys."_

" _I know," Burk replied. After a pause he continued. "One time when I was talking to Ravit, she asked why we couldn't all come together to fight this virus, to distribute this cure. Why we couldn't stop killing each other. I wish I knew. I wish I knew why the cure isn't enough. Why we can't all get along. Why we have to keep killing each other."_

" _I wish I knew too," Danny admitted. "Ravit was a good soul. I miss her."_

" _Me too."_

" _Are you ever going to go to Chicago to find your family? She wouldn't have wanted you to be alone."_

" _I've been considering it," Burk replied, voice neutral._

" _If you need someone to go with you, you only have to ask. Kara would understand. Hell, she'd probably insist on coming with us."_

 _Both man laughed at that, knowing that Danny wasn't entirely joking. "I'll let you know. Cruz and I will watch for your mom and brother when we go north."_

" _Thank you."_

 _As they clasped hands and Burk left the room, Danny couldn't help but reflect on how much had changed since the Nathan James first headed to the arctic. A year ago he and Kara had barely set eyes on each other. A year ago, Burk was merely the head of the VBSS team on the ship where Danny had been temporarily assigned. A year ago neither one of them had heard of Ravit. As year ago his family was safe and sound in Connecticut. A year ago the idea of Caro and Cruz...well, apparently Caro had the hots for Cruz even back then so maybe that hadn't actually changed. But overall it had been a year of turmoil and constant change and now everything was changing again, and Danny could only hope that he and Kara were making the right decision for their new family._

"But wouldn't three generations make a research easier?" Caro spoke, catching Danny's attention.

"Obviously more we understand about the virus and natural immunity," Doctor Milowsky was explaining, "the more options we may find for treatment. Having a family group to study may provide us with important clues as to how immunity works. Should you successfully locate your mother, I would certainly like to take a sample of her blood for comparison purposes."

"Caro, we've talked about this," Danny interrupted. "It isn't the right time to look for them."

"Doctor Milowsky just said that having a family group to study would be valuable," Caro argued, as he had known that she would. "I could go without you."

"That doesn't change the practicalities, Caro. Looking for Mom and Chris is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Now that the quarantine zones are being relaxed, we know that they will head to Cornwall, and then come looking for us. If you head north, there is a good chance that you would pass right by each other. Burk and Cruz both promised to watch for them and Mason is going to broadcast a radio call daily telling them to go south to Norfolk. Our best option is to stay in one place and wait for them to find us."

"The genetic research we were discussing is being conducted by Doctor Milowsky's team, but with many of them slated to leave for Europe on Solace, your medical training would be useful if you were interested in joining the team in Norfolk," Rachel interjected.

"It would mean a lot to both of us if you would join us in Norfolk," Kara added, speaking for the first time. A look passed between the two women, one that Danny didn't understand.

"Okay," Caro said finally. "I'll go to Norfolk with you. But I may not stay long. No promises."

"The ship is starting to get crowded with all of these passengers," Doctor Milowsky joked.

"What other passengers?" Kara asked.

"Well, besides the five of us, Doctor Morrison, Miss Carlton, and Eddie Ward and his son, as well as the scientists that came on Solace from Norfolk to assist with the installation of the equipment."

"Eddie's coming?"

Kara glanced at Danny but it was Rachel who replied. "Yes, Captain Chandler asked him if he would be willing to work directly with Kelly on the therapy program that she is developing, since Ward received treatment for PTSD prior to the outbreak. I imagine that his background will make him useful in other ways as well."

A few minutes later, Captain Chandler arrived to collect Doctor Scott. While Rachel fussed over baby Frankie, Danny took the chance to speak to the Captain alone. "Thank you for this opportunity, sir. I know that you didn't have to let me return to Norfolk, that the SEAL team stationed there could have handled the training program."

The Commander gave a half smile, the way he often did when he moved from his role as Captain to his role as a mentor and friend. "You weren't the only choice, but you were the best choice. I've seen you in action, learned your command style, and watched you train men under the worst of conditions. You are a natural leader, Green, with a good eye for a soldier's strengths and weaknesses. I know that the men you train will be fit for any task that I hand to them."

"They'll be wiped into shape by the next time you hit Norfolk," Danny promised.

"No need to start immediately," the Captain replied, sounding amused. "Take a day or two to find a house and settle in once you arrive – both you and Lieutenant Foster. I would pick the largest one that you can find. Now that we are officially in the business of nation-building, Doctor Scott expects you and Kara to do your part and pop out at least a couple more of the little critters."


	24. Chapter 24

Thank you to everyone who is continuing to follow along with this story! I very much appreciate the thoughtful reviews. :)

I will add in some stuff about Caro/Cruz, _Guest_ , but it will be a little bit down the road. And I'm not sure that Kara is on board for five, _Anonymous 120_ , but she could always change her mind.

I am going to miss the NJ crew too _othfan326_. But they might be back sooner rather than later - you never know. In the meantime, there will be some Danny/Caro and Kara/Debbie issues to explore, as well as Danny and Kara figuring out what they are going to do now that they are in Norfolk essentially starting a new life.

FYI, I may have to turn off anonymous reviews due to one person's rude and obnoxious comments. I apologize in advance if that happens since I would *hate* to have one mean spirited person ruin it for the rest of us.

CHAPTER 24

Danny rolled out of bed with a groan, forgetting that he had taken the top bunk and barely stopping himself from tumbling down onto Frankie. His head spun as he stumbled across the cabin and in the direction of the door as he heard another soft knock. He checked his watch. 0217. _Damn_.

Solace had left New London around 1600 that afternoon, several hours later than planned due to the last minute adjustment of some of the equipment, and Danny and Kara had headed directly their assigned cabin in the hopes of getting some much needed sleep. But so far it hadn't happened. First Frankie had completely freaked out, refusing to nurse and screaming her head off, necessitating a trip to see Doctor Milowsky, only to be told that it was just gas. That crisis dealt with, Danny had just fallen asleep when Caro knocked on the door looking for food on behalf of Eddie and Tyler, since the skeleton crew that Captain Chandler had pulled together to bring the Solace north had not included a chef. Then Halsey had needed to go out. Then Frankie had woken up hungry. And now someone was interrupting them again. Danny yanked open the door.

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but Captain Stowell asked if Lieutenant Foster could join him in combat."

Danny blinked at the young sailor. Johnson. That had not been what he was expecting. Behind him Kara stood up, pulling on her shoes. Apparently either Johnson's knocking or Danny's stumbling around had woken her up. "Did the Captain say why?"

"We're picking up a surface contact but the signal keeps disappearing and we don't have a CIC watch officer on board, ma'am," Johnson replied.

Kara squeezed past Danny, dressed in one of his blue Nathan James shirts and sweatpants, her own clothing either too big or too small for her post-delivery figure. "Probably a biological. I shouldn't be too long."

Danny nodded, then stumbled back across the cabin to crash in the lower bunk, falling back asleep in an instant. He woke to the sound of Frankie starting to lose her mind, which generally meant she was hungry. Looking around the cabin, Danny realized that Kara hadn't returned yet. He checked his watch. 0356. Kara must have lost track of time, although how she could sit in a chair right now without falling asleep right now was a puzzle to Danny. Scooping up the infant, he started trudging through the ship towards CIC.

Backing through the door, he was surprised to see Kara leaning over one of the monitors, pointing out something to Johnson. On the other side of the room Zaya was at communications with his headphones on. Kara looked over as he entered, Frankie's squawking making it immediately evident why they were there.

"Your daughter isn't the most patient child," Danny commented mildly.

Flopping down in a chair, Kara unsnapped her bra before popping Frankie's head under her shirt. Johnson spun in the opposite direction, his face beat red. Zaya looked over and then chuckled. Danny gave the sailor a hard look, making it clear that there were to be no inappropriate comments. Although Danny had to admit that he was a little surprised that Kara was nursing the baby here. Not that you could see anything, of course, but Frankie's gurgling and sucking made it pretty obvious what was going on.

"My mum used to call it her magic trick. She would say that no baby can resist the boob." Zaya piped up. When everyone looked over, he added. "I'm the oldest of eight."

"Eight?" Kara sounded shell-shocked. She looked at Danny. "That is so not happening."

He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Last I heard I had been banished to the couch."

That got a smile out of her. "Maybe we can have one more. In about ten years."

"Good to know." Danny kept his voice solemn as he dropped into the chair next to Kara. "Why are you still here anyway? Not a biological?"

"No. It's definitely a ship. A big one. It's on the edge of our radar – which is why there is so much ghosting – and they appear to be on a northwesterly course. We should lose them soon."

"No contact from them?" Danny asked.

"From that range, we look like a cargo ship," Johnson explained. "The only reason for them to get closer is if they are pirates."

"How long has it been since we ran across another operational ship?" Danny asked Kara quietly.

"Not since the Vyerni," Kara replied, her voice reflecting her concern.

Johnson looked up. "Ma'am, they're turning."

Kara looked to Zaya. "Get Captain Stowell in here now."

Nodding, the junior officer left quickly. Danny looked at Kara and then down at the squiggling, nursing lump in her shirt. They both knew the score. While Solace was built to fight, it was running with a skeleton crew and carrying a large number of scientists and civilians, as well as the lab that Doctor Milowsky had just finished rebuilding. They were halfway between the Nathan James and Norfolk, with no hope of reinforcements or rescue until long after the mystery ship would arrive.

 _This was not good._

Over the next two hours, things went from bad to worse. As the mystery ship closed in, Kara and Johnson had identified it as a Chinese frigate which, unfortunately, meant it was carrying plenty of firepower. And while Solace was built to fight, she didn't have nearly enough crew to handle a true maritime battle. When Zaya had reached the Nathan James, Captain Chandler had offered to turn south to help them, but they had all known it was a useless endeavor. Whatever was going to happen would be done long before the Nathan James was in range. At this point, they were actually closer to Norfolk. If Solace could stay ahead of the frigate for a few more hours there was the possibility of a helicopter evacuation, so Captain Stowell had ordered flank speed to Norfolk. Of course, that assumed that there was someone currently in Norfolk qualified to fly the chopper. Lieutenant Yates had sounded less than confident about the possibility the last time they spoke.

"Any response?" Captain Stowell asked.

"No, sir," Zaya replied with a sigh. "I've tried hailing them in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Mongolian and English. I even tried a few words of Russian."

"How long until intercept?"

"Just over an hour," Johnson replied.

"We'll be within weapons range in thirty minutes, sir," Kara added. "I suggest we prepare for an emergency evacuation. We're close enough to the shore to send everyone on the tender boats. It should be less than a day's drive to Norfolk and the area doesn't have any known hostile forces. If Solace stays between the frigate and the tender boats until they reach shore, the Chinese shouldn't know that they've launched. And if necessary, Solace can provide cover for the boats."

Stowell looked at Kara, then Danny and then Frankie. "For that to work, I'll need someone to stay on board to handle combat."

Kara visibly swallowed. "I know. I can stay, sir."

 _No._

Danny barely stopped himself from shouting the word out loud, from telling Captain Stowell that Kara _needed_ to be on those tender boats when they launched. _This was Achilles all over again_. The idea of leaving Kara on board, again, while he left with the non-essential personnel, was excruciating. _He had come so close to losing her last time_. Everything in Danny was screaming at him to stop her, to find a different path, to do _something_.

After Gitmo, he had thought – a lot – about what had happened and what had gone wrong. Danny had realized that in an effort to "protect" Kara, he had been trying to make decisions for her, assuming that he knew better than she did, and not treating her as an equal. The end result had almost been disastrous, both for the crew of Nathan James, and for him and Kara. He had understood that for their personal and professional relationship to work, he needed to respect that Kara was capable of making her own choices, even if her choice was not the one he would have made. That was why he hadn't tried to talk Kara out of volunteering for the vaccine trial, why he congratulated her when the Captain promoted her to TAO of the Nathan James despite the long hours and greater responsibility, why he didn't ask her to leave the ship when Captain Chandler went after the Achilles, why he hadn't asked her to stay behind in Norfolk when the Nathan James headed north six weeks ago. But this was different.

 _Because this shouldn't be happening again. Because they weren't on the Nathan James anymore. Because they were on their way to Norfolk. Because this was supposed to be the beginning of a new life, a life where she was safe and sound and he didn't have to worry about her getting blown up. And, most of all, because this entire plan was_ _her_ _idea. She wasn't just following orders. She had deliberately put herself in this position._

He couldn't stand back and let her do this, not without saying something.

"Can I talk to Lieutenant Foster for a moment?" Danny said quietly, glancing at Kara from the corner of his eye. Captain Stowell nodded.

As they moved to the corner of the room, Danny raised his hand to grip Kara's arm tightly, his voice too intense even to his own ears. "This plan is too risky. You can't run CIC alone And how are you going to get off the ship after?"

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Kara asked wearily.

"We all stay here and take our chances on Solace," Danny responded immediately.

Kara shook her head. "The tender boats have no defenses. If we launch them once the Chinese are in range, we'll be sitting ducks."

"So show someone else how to run the targeting computers," Danny replied.

Kara gave him a look of exasperation. "We both know it's not something that Johnson can learn in thirty minutes and Captain Stowell can't steer the ship and run combat. Even if he could, the system has changed since he retired and I'm not sure if he knows how to use it."

"What about Frankie?" Danny pointed to the infant asleep in the bouncer he had dragged upstairs earlier when he realized that they were not going to be returning to their cabin anytime soon, knowing that it was a low blow but too tired and frustrated to care. "You're her _mother_."

Kara stiffened, her voice dropping to a hiss. "Do you think that I want to do this? Do you think I want to put my newborn baby on a tender boat and send her out into the ocean without me?"

"Then don't." Danny replied. "Come with us on the tender boats. Don't risk it. Frankie needs you more than you need to stay here."

"You weren't so concerned about Frankie needing us when you left to infiltrate the Massachusetts Alliance when she was barely two days old."

"It's entirely different. The two of you would have been fine without me. Kids don't need a father the way that they need a mother."

As soon as he saw her face, Danny wanted to grab the words back. He knew how hard life had been for Kara growing up, how much Debbie had struggled as a single parent, how worried Kara was of repeating her mother's example.

Kara stepped back, shaking his hand off her arm. When she spoke her voice was solid ice. "As Frankie's parents, our first priority has to be keeping her alive and safe. If me staying on this ship increases the likelihood that she survives, then that is what I will do. And you should understand that."

Danny had no rebuttal. She was right. Frankie had to be their priority. He opened his mouth, trying to think of a way to explain - _explain that he was being an asshole because he was terrified that she would leave him to raise Frankie alone_ \- but the words wouldn't come.

Turning back towards Captain Stowell, Zaya and Johnson, Kara spoke louder, her voice unreadable. "Make sure to take the formula from Doctor Scott, just in case."

Ignoring the fact that they had obviously just been arguing, Captain Stowell spoke. "Can you coordinate the evacuation, Green? It's still Plan B, but I want everyone ready to go in the next twenty minutes. And Foster, once the civilians make land, you'll be on the first boat out."

"I'll get everyone organized, sir," Danny replied stiffly.

Captain Stowell nodded. "Johnson can help."

After waking the passengers and sending Johnson back to CIC, Danny quickly geared up and stuffed as many of Frankie's things as possible in one bag. Digging through the mountain of supplies they had acquired over the last week, Danny located the precious cans of formula that Rachel had been squirreling away for months. He held a can in his hand, staring down at it, the thought of having to use it made his stomach heave. The only reason to use it would be if Kara wasn't there.

Danny spun around as he heard a noise behind him. Caro stood there. "Why are you packing formula?"

Although Danny and Johnson had woken everyone with the news that they needed to pack essentials and be ready to evacuate in twenty minutes, as well as telling Eddie to gear up, they had not shared details about the nature of the threat. When Doctor Milowsky had begun arguing, Danny had simply sent him to CIC for Stowell to deal with. Danny stared at Caro. He was too tired right now for an argument. Too raw after the conversation with Kara. Too scared of what this day might bring.

"There's a Chinese warship headed towards us. Kara is staying in case they fire on the tender boats during the evacuation and Solace needs to provide cover."

Caro gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. Then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Danny leaned into her, accepting the hug for what it was, the only comfort that she could offer. They stood like that for what felt like ages, until Danny pulled back to give her a lopsided smile. "I have to go check in with the Captain. Can you take Frankie for a little bit? Make sure to stay by Eddie. No wandering."

A minute later, Danny walked back into CIC to find only Kara and Johnson. "Where is Captain Stowell?"

Kara handed him a pair of headphones. She was wearing her own half on, the way she usually did, with only one ear covered. He had always wondered how she managed to listen and talk at the same time. He supposed that it was one of the reasons that Kara made such a good TAO – her ability to process two (or more) conversations at once. "The frigate contacted us over the bridge-to-bridge. Something about communications being out."

Pulling on the headphones he could hear the Captain's voice. "Tell them to hold at their current position. Let me know if they comply, TAO."

Zaya began speaking in what Danny assumed was Mandarin as Kara, Danny and Johnson watched the dot on the screen before them.

"Message conveyed, sir," Zaya said finally in English.

"TAO?"

"They've stopped, sir." Her voice cracked slightly, betraying the stress of the last several hours. Danny reached over to cover her hand with his and, although she didn't look at him, she didn't pull away either.

Captain Stowell's voice reflected the same relief. "What is their condition?"

After some back and forth, Zaya translated the response. "The crew originally totaled two-hundred thirty but most are sick or dead – including the Captain. From what I can tell, they passed through the Mediterranean a few weeks ago and heard from some survivors in Portugal that the US Navy had a cure. They ran into a hurricane last week that took out their communications and forced them off course. They were looking for the Nathan James."

"Tell them that we'll send over a boarding party with the cure," Captain Stowell responded. "Johnson, track down Green and have him report to combat. Keep the civilians ready for evacuation for now."

"I'm in CIC, sir," Danny informed the Captain.

"Good, I'll be there in a minute. I'll need you and Ward on the boarding party. We barely have enough sailors to keep this ship afloat as it is. Nobody to spare to send to the Foshan. And Zoya please update Norfolk and Captain Chandler."

The second that Johnson left CIC to find Eddie, Danny turned to Kara. "About earlier. You were right. Frankie needs to be our first priority."

Kara looked over, their eyes meeting, and he could see the hurt reflected there. "Where is she?"

"With Caroline."

Kara nodded. "Be careful over there. Although Frankie could survive without one of us, she still needs both of us."


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you for the information _jag389_! I'm not military so I usually try to check details before I add them to the story but, in Solace, Green tells Miller that Solace was built to fight so I ran with it. Argh. I will fix that line but then I wondered whether a hospital ship has a CIC since it only has defensive capabilities. Do you know? My military sources are army (so not really trustworthy for Navy info) and a marine, but neither knew.

Thank you _Tata_ , _smarthorsecallie_ , _Skippy_ , and _Sarah Carter_! I really do appreciate you taking the time to leave a review.

 _Sarah Carter_ – did you see the new pictures that Eric Dane posted of him and Travis and Bren (on IG and twitter)? Travis is wearing a ring in all of the pictures and Kevin (who plays Miller) recently said on Twitter that TLS just finished filming episodes 3 and 4 so it looks like a LOT is going to happen quickly. And, yeah, it definitely looks like we're headed to China.

Hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

CHAPTER 25

Kara stood in the middle of the cabin that had been her home for the past two days, bouncing Frankie and staring at the mountain of bags and supplies that needed to be moved from the ship to the shore, fighting the tears that burned in the back of her eyes.

 _This was not how she had imagined their arrival in Norfolk._

Leaving New London and the Nathan James had been hard. Kara had cried as she said goodbye to Andrea and Alisha, and it was only her determination not to cry in front of Captain Chandler that got her through the heart wrenching farewell with Rachel. But by the time they had boarded Solace, Kara had been feeling hopeful, eager to get back to Norfolk – _back home_ – with Danny and Frankie, ready to begin a new chapter of her life. One where she and Danny would see each other every day. One where they could spend time together without two hundred people constantly needing something. One where she wouldn't have to worry about Danny getting shot. She had imagined them standing on the deck of Solace watching the approaching shore together. She had begun to picture the house that Danny kept talking about, the one with the white picket fence and a yard for Halsey and a nursery for Frankie. She imagined them house hunting, not quite the way that they would have before the virus hit, but walking through a few houses until they found the one that felt just right. Picking out a room for Frankie. Maybe spending a few days painting and arranging furniture and decorating.

And then they had stumbled across the Foshan, and reality had come crashing down.

The fight with Danny had left Kara feeling desolate and alone and she suspected that Danny was feeling much the same way. They fought surprisingly little for two people with such strong personalities, something Kara appreciated after growing up in a household where she was frequently awoken by drunken screaming matches. However, the downside to rarely fighting was that neither of them seemed to know how to handle the aftermath. Not that there had been time to talk anyway. Danny had left for the Chinese frigate within the hour of receiving the distress call and, despite concerns that it was a trap, the call had been genuine. The crew must have been exposed to the virus somewhere in Europe before beginning their transatlantic crossing. By the time they reached the US shore, a third was dead and the remainder sick, their situation made even more dire by a storm that had blown them off course and knocked out communications. Which was why Danny, Eddie, Zaya and two petty officers, as well as Doctor Milowsky and Caroline (who had volunteered to go with the away team), had been on the Foshan for the past twenty-four hours. Once the team from Solace boarded, they had not only needed to tend to the crew, but also help man the vessel. From what Kara had gathered from Zaya when he reported in, it was amazing that the ship was moving at all given the condition of the bridge crew and the heavy damage that the ship sustained during the storm.

With Zaya gone, Kara had taken over communications on Solace, keeping Captain Chandler and Lieutenant Yates, as well as President Michener (who had been naturally concerned by the appearance of a Chinese military vessel in US waters), apprised of the situation. Although Kara had spoken with Danny several times over the radio, the exchanges had been formal, none of the banter that he usually slipped into the conversation when she was on the other end. Between Frankie's demands and the constant flow of information, Kara had managed to push the fight to the back of her mind and when she had finally turned in to her bunk last night, she had collapsed with exhaustion. This morning had been different. From the moment she woke up, Kara had been unable to shake the feeling of dejection that was gripping her.

Although there had been a delay while the boarding team focused on treated the Foshan's crew, Captain Stowell had ordered both ships moving again as quickly as possible and Solace had arrived at Norfolk at 0830. Which is why Kara was standing her in the middle of the cabin wondering how she was going to move the bags to shore. Of course, it was all academic since she had no idea where the stuff was going to go once she was _on_ shore. While Danny had assured her that he had worked out the logistics with Yates, he had failed to let her know what those arrangements were, and the Foshan was still several hours away.

"Pull it together, Foster," Kara spoke the words firmly. "You can run a 9,000 ton destroyer. Moving a baby should be a snap."

As though sensing her mood, Halsey looked up at her, whining softly. Kara leaned down to brush back his ears. Halsey, at least, would be happy to be off of the ship. Even with a regular exercise routine, living for over a year on a five hundred foot boat had been restricting for the energetic dog.

"Ma'am?"

Kara spun around to see Johnson standing in the doorway. She had forgotten that it was open. She really hoped that he hadn't heard her talking to herself a moment ago. "Yes?"

"Captain Stowell asked me to give you a hand with your bags," he explained.

Kara gave the young man a grateful smile. "That would be greatly appreciated. I was just standing here wondering how a baby can require so much stuff."

Johnson laughed. "You definitely have more than a duffle bag here. It will probably take a few trips. Do you have someone meeting you here, ma'am?"

And Kara's mood plummeted again, one problem being met with another. Before leaving New London, Danny had suggested that Kara call her mother but Kara had wanted to surprise Debbie. She was now second-guessing that decision. Having someone here waiting for her would have made this morning much easier. Still her voice was calm and unruffled when she replied, "I need to coordinate with Lieutenant Yates regarding temporary accommodations. Lieutenant Green made arrangements before we left New London."

"I thought you were staying here at Norfolk," Johnson said, slightly perplexed.

"We are. But we need somewhere to stay until we can arrange permanent housing," Kara explained.

"That makes sense," Johnson replied, his usual cheerful voice back as he hefted up a load of bags and headed towards the door. Kara followed with Frankie. "Everyone around here has been talking about the new training programs that Admiral Chandler proposed. I applied to the TAC program, although I doubt that I will be accepted."

"Really, why not?" Kara was amused by both Johnson's excitement and his use of the Captain Chandler's official title. On the Nathan James, Tom Chandler had quickly made it clear that he preferred to be addressed as Captain Chandler. Kara thought that his rejection of the title reflected the man's ambivalence towards his promotion. If there was one thing that Captain Chandler had never been, it was a pencil pusher. In a world without the virus, Kara imagined that he would have been happy remaining with the Nathan James until his retirement.

"To be picked personally by Lieutenant Green in the first training group would be like getting into the Academy. Everyone I know is applying," Johnson explained, his voice animated. "Did you know that he singlehandedly took out a power plant in Baltimore while the Nathan James was being held hostage?"

Kara barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the hero worship. She was starting to get a good idea of why Captain Chandler had picked Danny to run the program here. "Yes, I was actually there when it happened."

Johnson seemed to recall himself. "Not that people won't apply to the CIC training program too, of course."

Kara felt bad for putting the damper on the young man. If there was one thing this world needed right now, it was a little bit of enthusiasm. "I have no doubt. I could put in a good word for you with Lieutenant Green if you'd like. Of course, I don't know who the other candidates are so no promises."

Johnson beamed. "Thank you, ma'am."

Kara held in a chuckle as Johnson deposited the first set of bags by a waiting Jeep and returned to the ship for the remainder of their – mostly Frankie's – things. Heading in the direction of the vehicle, Kara was surprised to see Lieutenant Louis Yates, formerly of the Nathan James, behind the wheel.

"Louis!" Kara grinned at the man she had worked side-by-side with for years. He moved forward to give her a hug. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me that the base commander has become a chauffeur."

"I had to come meet the newest addition," Louis responded, glancing down at Frankie. "A beautiful little girl, just like her mama."

Kara gave Louis a searching look. "Why are you really here?"

The man laughed. "I'm arranging a welcome for our guests once they arrive, Admiral's orders. Although, between us, I'm pretty sure that once we gave them the cure we could have abandoned them in the middle of the ocean and they wouldn't have cared. Which is lucky since diplomacy is not my strong suit."

"You'll do fine," Kara reassured the man. "I got to know Zaya, our translator, a little bit while we were on Solace. He's a solid guy. Lean on him if you need some help."

"Sure you don't want to switch jobs?" Louis teased.

"Have you magically learned how to nurse a baby since I last saw you?" Kara asked dryly, although if she was being honest the idea of handling a ship of sick Chinese sailors sounded less overwhelming than getting herself and a baby set up in Norfolk. At least the sailors slept. From the corner of her eye, Kara noticed Rebecca walk onto Solace's deck, Tyler in her arms. Kara frowned. Although she knew that Rebecca was watching the boy while Eddie was gone, she hadn't considered what the two would do now that they were in Norfolk. She turned back to Yates. "What are the housing arrangements here anyway?"

Following her glance, Yates grimaced. "I didn't know we had another family on board. I'll need another apartment cleaned out."

"That's Eddie Ward's son. Rebecca Carlton is with him since Eddie is on board the Foshan," Kara explained.

"Ah, got it. Think you could show her to Unit 3? I put everyone from Solace there temporarily while we secure suitable housing."

As tempted as Kara was to say no, she knew that Louis had his hands full. The lieutenant had obviously stepped up his game since she last saw him, taking charge of the base and working closely with the local civilian leaders. As one of the first locations to receive the cure, Norfolk had become a thriving metropolis and a magnet for survivors looking for a safe place to rebuild. The city's surviving population had elected a town counsel to govern the area and manage the efforts to spread the cure as widely as possible, as well as provide assistance to the new arrivals. But despite these efforts, the civilian population still relied heavily on the base for security, supplies, and other practical assistance. Louis had managed to get limited electricity and water and sewer back online, giving the area at least the resemblance of its pre-virus self, and a volunteer police force now supplemented the SEAL team that had greeted the Nathan James upon her first arrival at Norfolk. But coordinating food, clothing, medical care and housing for thousands of people was no easy job. And now Louis was apparently tackling the role of diplomat.

"Of course." Kara raised her hand to wave to Rebecca. As the other woman approached, a large bag over her shoulder, Johnson reappeared with the second load of Frankie's belongings. "How long will we be there?"

Louis shrugged. "Not long. Norfolk has doubled in size in the past few months and we have new arrivals daily. With the booming population real estate is becoming scarce. But getting you a house isn't the problem. Green's requirements were."

Kara arched an eyebrow at Louis. "Requirements?"

Louis gave a long-suffering sigh. "Certain neighborhood, certain size house, certain size yard, certain number of bedrooms, a cellar…"

"Not too hot or too cold?" Kara quipped.

"Exactly. I have a few options for you to look at this afternoon if you want. All in the same neighborhood as the Chandlers." Louis lowered his voice. "Or you could go now and pick one before Green arrives and makes me find ten other options…"

"Tomorrow is soon enough," Kara replied. She liked Yates, but not _that_ much. Kara waited while the man responded to a call over the radio.

"I have to handle this. We might have another translator. You good?" Louis asked. He waited only for her to nod before tossing her two sets of keys.

"Good luck, Ambassador," Kara called out before turning to wait for Rebecca and Johnson to reach her.

"Could you drive us to the barracks, Johnson?" Kara asked once he was close enough. "Miss Carlton and Tyler will be coming as well and I can't drive and hold a baby."

"Of course, just one more load."

As Johnson disappeared again, Kara looked at Rebecca, the tension between them unmistakable. She had only seen the other woman in passing since the incident that day in the hospital, due mostly to the meddling by the Nathan James crew. Kara would have preferred to leave it that way.

"How are you holding up?" Kara asked Rebecca finally, breaking the silence. "Little bit of a scare yesterday."

"I suppose I should get used to it," Rebecca replied after a moment. "I imagine that Solace will run into this type of situation on a regular basis."

"Things would have been different if Solace had been traveling with a full crew but, no, Solace will never be entirely safe," Kara admitted. "You don't have to go. You can change your mind."

"Yes, I do," Rebecca replied softly. "I need a goal. A mission. A job. Going on Solace will give me that. A purpose."

Kara met Rebecca's eyes. Funny how many things she and Rebecca had in common. Or maybe not. In that moment, Kara could understand what drew Danny to Rebecca. "I understand completely."

Comprehension appeared on Rebecca's face. "Leaving the Nathan James must be hard. But I thought you had a job waiting for you here?"

"I do. I'll be running a training program," Kara confirmed. True to form, Captain Chandler had figuring out a way for her to remain part of the team, for her to remain useful, here in Norfolk. Of course, that assumed there was any interest in learning about CIC. If Johnson was any indication, her program was running a poor second choice to the TAC training program. Kara might be out of a job before she began.

Rebecca took a deep breath. "About the other day…"

Kara cut her off, unwilling to deal with any more turmoil right now. "There's nothing to discuss. Okay?"

After a moment, Rebecca nodded. She looked at Frankie. "How is her jaundice?"

Grateful for the change of topic, Kara made small talk with Rebecca until Johnson returned. It took only a few minutes to cross the base to Unit 3 and Johnson quickly unloaded their gear into apartments next to each other. Stepping into the apartment she had chosen, Kara was struck by how familiar it looked. She had stayed in the same basic room a hundred times over the course of her naval career. The same neutral wall paint, the same walnut furniture, the same beige rugs. Even the familiar smell of disinfectant. Setting Frankie down in her bouncer, Kara dropped down onto the couch, uncertain of what to do next. Unpacking made no sense, given that they would be moving again shortly. She really should go try to find some food and new diapers for Frankie, but the thought of leaving the apartment was exhausting.

The next thing she knew, Kara was startled awake by someone knocking. Still dazed, she stumbled across the room to open the door. For a moment she thought that she was hallucinating.

" _Mom?'_ The word came out as a sob.

"Did you think you could sneak back into Norfolk without me knowing?" Debbie chided, pulling Kara in for a tight hug.

"No. Of course not. I was going to call," Kara explained, the words tumbling over each other. Debbie held Kara at arm's length, looking her up and down. Under Debbie's firm gaze, Kara admitted, "I'm just so tired."

Debbie looked at her with sympathy and understanding. "Of course you are. Which is why I'm here. First you are going to introduce me to this precious granddaughter of mine and then we are going to get acquainted while you take a hot shower and a long nap."


	26. Chapter 26

Sorry for the delay in updating! This chapter kind of turned into a mammoth. Plus, I've been distracted going down memory lane and watching old episodes of BSG. I love Helo and Athena. Sigh.

Thank you for the reviews! I am behind on PMs but will get back to everyone soon. And I will update my other story as well. :)

I have been loving all the pictures of the guys on twitter and IG but I agree that we need some pictures of Rhona and Marissa!

CHAPTER 26

"How are you holding up?" Danny asked Caro. She was leaning against the wall of the mess, which had been transformed into a hospital to accommodate the Foshan's sick sailors, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

She glanced up at him, her eyes bloodshot. "What time is it?"

"About 0430." Danny looked around the room, watching Doctor Milowsky as he moved through the pallets, checking IVs and temperatures. The first few hours on the Foshan had been chaotic as the small medical team from Solace struggled to stabilize the sickest patients and prevent organ failure. But as the hours passed and the cure began to work, the frenzy calmed and now most of the survivors appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Danny looked back at Caro. "Why don't you get some rest?"

"And let you brag about how much longer you can stay awake? I don't think so." Smiling at him to take the edge off of her words, Caro slid to a sitting position on the floor. "Come on, take a load off. I've barely spoken to you in days. Not since that night in Hartford."

 _That night in Hartford_. The night that he and Caro sat on the roof of the hospital while Kara was in labor. The night he had sat there wondering if he would make it back to New London in time to see his child born. Wondering if he would get to see his child at all, given the state of affairs in Hartford. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"And you think that _now_ is a good time to remedy that?" Danny shook his head as he dropped to the floor next to her, allowing his own eyes to drift closed as he leaned against the wall. He couldn't remember the last time he got more than a couple hours of sleep. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"You could start by telling me why you're in the doghouse."

Danny's eyes snapped open, fixed on his sister, despite knowing that she was impervious to his glare. That was the problem with siblings. Not only was Caro was immune to the glower that Danny used on people (generally Miller) that had pissed him off, but she would just keep bugging him with questions until he either answered her or they ended up in another fight. "I said something stupid."

"So apologize."

"It's not that easy," Danny said with a sigh.

"How hard can it be?" Caro asked in the same sleepy voice, as though they were discussing nothing more complicate than the weather. "Give her that sexy smile you use on the ladies and then tell her that you are sorry for being such an incredible idiot. Which I am sure you were. Because that is one of your less endearing qualifies. Acting like an idiot."

Danny felt an odd sense of déjà vu. He and Caroline used to have conversations like this about Rebecca, once upon a time. He would talk to Caro and Rebecca would talk to Caro and Caro always had a solution. It was one of the reasons that he and Rebecca had managed to stick it out so long. Caro had been their mediator, their therapist, the person who called it as she saw it and didn't tolerate any of their (mostly Danny's) bullshit. The awareness made Danny feel vaguely uncomfortable. Kara wasn't Rebecca. She wasn't Caro's friend. Hell, the two of them barely knew each other. There were things that Caro didn't know about Kara, things that Danny couldn't tell her, things that weren't his secrets to share.

"Kara's father died before she was born," Danny replied finally. "She knows what it was like growing up with only one parent. Sometimes I forget that."

"Did she ask you not to come?" Caro raised her head to look at him.

Danny exhaled. "No, she would never do that. If anything, she's more committed to the mission than I am. She always has been."

"Ah, so you were pissed about her staying on Solace." Caro's eyes closed again and she smirked. "I figured it was something like that. You are too used to people following your orders."

Danny had to laugh at himself. "I _am_ in the Navy. People are supposed to follow my orders."

"Not your wife," Caro pointed out.

"I suppose everyone knows that we had a fight," Danny grumbled.

"Well, besides the total attitude that you have been throwing for the last twenty-four hours, Zaya might have mentioned that you and Kara got into it in front of half the Solace crew," Caro replied with a smirk.

"It was not half the crew," Danny muttered, knowing that it didn't make a difference. It was one of the significant downsides to being on a ship – gossip spread quickly, no matter how many (or how few) people observed the original event.

"Don't worry. You're reputation isn't completely destroyed. Apparently watching you haul those supplies onto the ship from the rhib without breaking a sweat has Zaya convinced that you are a total badass. You seem to have something like celebrity status around here."

Danny smiled at Caro's lame joke despite the exhaustion pulling at him. What he wouldn't give to be climbing into a bunk with Kara right now, to bury his face in her hair, to feel her soft breath against his neck as she curled into him. He hated knowing that he had hurt her. He hated the tension that was simmering between them. But most of all, he hated the fact that he wasn't there. That instead of talking to Kara right now, he was talking to his sister.

"Enough about me. You and Cruz sealed the deal yet?"

"Sealed the deal? What am I? A Mazda?" Caro's head popped up to give him a glare that he answered with a grin.

"Nope, you are definitely a BMW," Danny retorted. "Nice to look at but requiring a lot of maintenance."

"You're an ass."

"I'm wounded. Just the other day you told me what a nice guy I was."

"I changed my mind," Caro grumbled.

Danny laughed. "Just be careful. After a mission, emotions can get….hazy. Not the best time to make life changing decisions."

Caro's mouth dropped open and she burst out in peels of laughter. "Seriously? At least I know how to use birth control. A class that you apparently skipped back in high school."

Danny's throat tightened, a flood of memories triggered by Caro's teasing words.

 _Kara lay on the cot, her face hidden by an oxygen mask. She was so still. Too still. Captain Chandler had told him that she was in rough shape but his mind hadn't accepted it, continuing to picture her as she had looked the day before when he teased her about being royalty. He focused that image in his mind. She hadn't seemed pregnant. Her stomach had looked as flat as always. She didn't look sick. Maybe a little tired, but they all were, and Kara had been pulling long shifts due to their transgressions. She hadn't been throwing up or anything like that. But what did he really know about pregnancy anyway? Although a few of his friends had gotten married and had children, he had been removed from the process, his involvement limited to sending the new father a cigar and a bottle of scotch once the infant made its arrival in the world._

" _Danny?" Rachel's words broken through the haze and Danny tried to recall what she had asked. Oh yes, if he knew how pregnant Kara might be._

" _I don't know," Danny whispered._

" _Apparently Green here flunked sex ed class." Slattery cracked the obvious joke but there was no bite to his words and when Danny looked over, he thought he saw a glimmer of tears rimming the older man's eyes._

"Earth to Danny!" Caro's voice snapped him back to the present. His sister looked at him concerned, which meant he must not have responded the first time that she spoke. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry. I was just remembering when I found out that Kara was pregnant…" Danny trailed off, his mind still focused on the past.

"It doesn't look like a happy memory," Caro observed.

"It isn't. Kara volunteered to test the vaccine. She got sick – had a seizure – and Doctor Scott ran bloodwork. That's when they found HCG in her system."

" _I'm sorry Danny." Doctor Scott's voice trembled in a way that Danny had never heard before. The woman always seemed so confident. So calm under pressure. Even when she was in the rhib on the way to meet the Russians, she had remained assured, poised, not betraying the fear that she must have felt. "I should have checked before the trial. It's standard for any woman in childbearing age."_

" _It's against regulations. We shouldn't have …" Danny couldn't finish the sentence. Being with Kara had been intoxicating, the immediate spark between them something that he had never experienced before. In the arctic it had seemed so harmless. A stolen kiss in the pathway gradually escalating to quick rendezvous in the storage lockers where their clothing stayed mostly in place and finally to Danny sneaking her into his cabin on nights when Frankie was on duty. Then, after Captain Chandler broke the news about the virus, after Frankie's death, after losing his team, the only thing that made the days bearable was the time he could spend with Kara, time where he could forget his pain and fear, if only temporarily. He hadn't thought far enough ahead to consider what would happen if Kara got pregnant._

Caro made a face. "Okay, so not the best way to find out that you're going to be a father."

"That's the understatement of the century," Danny replied with a snort. "Hey, your girlfriend is pregnant. And she has a virus that has killed 99% of the world's population. Congratulations and condolences all in one."

 _Danny couldn't help but notice how limp her hand was as he sat beside Kara on the cot, squeezed between Tex and Andrea. Although he couldn't feel the heat through the thick rubber gloves that he was wearing, he knew her fever was spiking again from the perspiration on her face. He signaled to Quincy, who checked her temperature – 102 – and brought the bucket of ice over so Danny could wipe down her face and hands as Quincy forced more ice water into her stomach. Danny found the sight absurdly amusing. Kara hated being cold, always drinking coffee to warm herself up, wearing layers under her uniform to insulate her. When they were in the arctic he had started bringing his heavy parka to their poker games, teasing her that she was a popsicle as he draped it over her shoulders to warm her up, wishing that he could wrap her up in his arms instead. And now here he was covering her in ice water in an effort to cool her down. Doing what he could to prevent another seizure. Knowing that it probably wouldn't matter. The virus would just find another way to kill her._

 _Doctor Scott hadn't pulled any punches when she told him just how sick Kara was. A four minute seizure. There was no telling what the long term effect might be on Kara. Might be on the baby. Assuming they survived at all._

 _The baby._

 _God. How could he not have known? Well, probably because they had barely spoken in weeks. How could she not have known? But he knew the answer without having to ask. She just hadn't thought about it. Not getting her period was such a mundane problem in a world that was anything but mundane._

"That will mess with your head." Caro looked straight at him.

"I tried calling home after we found out about the virus. You, Mom, Dad, Chris. I tried every number that I could think of. There was no answer. I figured that you were dead. I lost Frankie. I lost Smith and Bercham. All I had left was Kara. And when it looked like she wasn't going to make it – that she and the baby…. I don't know what I would have done."

 _His career had always taken priority. Over his family. Over his friends. Over Rebecca. Not because he didn't love them, but because he had always known that duty came first. He had accepted it as part of his job. And so he had taken the people in his life for granted, given them secondary status. Until Kara. She had shaken his conviction, shifted his focus. When Slattery had come to talk to Danny after he recovered from dengue fever, Danny's primary concern had been to reassure the XO that he understood his mistake, had rectified the problem, and that it would never happen again. That he had his priorities in order. That he was focused first and primarily on the mission now._

 _But he had been lying to himself._

 _Because when it came down to it, if the choice was between Kara and the mission, Danny didn't know what he would do._

 _And Slattery had understood that long before Danny did._

"What about when you found out that the baby and Kara were going to be okay?" Caro asked inquisitively. "That must be a happier memory, right?"

Danny leaned his back against the wall, that image bringing a smile to his face. "Once we realized that Doctor Scott had found the cure, I told Kara. The look on her face … it was indescribable. Shock and then pure joy. I'll never forget that moment."

"Is that when you asked her to marry you?" Caro asked, surprising Danny. He sometimes forgot how little that Caroline knew about him and Kara. About how their relationship.

"Not then. But I knew that she was the one – the woman that I was going to spend my life with."

 _Danny helped Kara to the medical bay. It was time to dismantle the quarantine in the helicopter bay and set up the equipment necessary to begin manufacturing doses of the cure and the other four had been discharged several hours earlier, but Doctor Scott wanted to keep an eye on Kara for a little while longer. Although Kara wasn't experiencing any cramping or bleeding, both Doctor Scott and Rios remained concerned about the possibility of miscarriage. It would also give Kara a little more time to adjust to the news before facing their shipmates. As Danny eased her into the bunk, she clutched at his hand, her eyes teary._

" _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Danny."_

 _He crouched down before the bunk, brushing her hair back from her forehead, cupping her cheek with his hand. He knew that she was still processing the fact that she was pregnant, what that meant, her emotions all over the place. He knew because that was how he had felt when he first learned the news. "It's all okay. You're going to be okay. The baby is going to be okay. Doctor Scott said he'll be born immune. Can you believe that? Immune."_

 _Tears dripped down Kara's face. "I didn't mean to do this to you."_

" _You didn't do anything to me." Danny grasped her hands tightly. "We made a choice together."_

" _But a baby…" Kara's voice quivered. "That wasn't supposed to happen."_

" _None of this was supposed to happen," Danny replied. "Right now we should be back in Norfolk talking about where to go to dinner and meeting up with friends and picking up the phone and call our families. Nobody was supposed to get sick or die. The world wasn't supposed to end. This baby – our baby – is the first good thing to happen in a long time."_

 _Kara squared her shoulders and he knew that she was thinking about her mother. Thinking about her childhood. Thinking about the father that she never knew. "I don't want you to stay with me just because I'm pregnant."_

" _I'm not going anywhere, Kara," Danny said firmly. "I said it before and I'll say it again. I love you. Now that we have a cure, we can go back to Norfolk. Set up a place to live. Start a new life together. You and me and the baby. That is what I want. I hope that's what you want too."_

 _Kara reached out to trail her fingers down his face. "It is. I want us all to be together too."_

"Your entire life changed in an instant? Isn't that what everyone says," Caro teased.

"It did. It turns out that some clichés are actually true," Danny replied.

The radio crackled to life. "Lieutenant Green? I have Captain Stowell for you."

With a groan Danny struggled to his feet. He couldn't wait to get back to Norfolk and see Kara again.

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Danny tried to contain his agitation as the jeep bumped along towards the temporary quarters that Yates had assigned to them. Quarters which were apparently next to those assigned to Eddie and Tyler, and where Rebecca was currently staying, a fact that Danny had learned when Yates casually mentioned that Johnson had driven both women to their accomodations earlier. So not only had Kara been forced to handle the move from Solace to their temporary quarters by herself (Danny refused to count Johnson, who was too young to even grow a beard yet, as "help"), but she had also been forced to deal with Rebecca when she was doing so.

 _It was not the way Danny wanted their arrival in Norfolk to go._

He had hoped to make it back to Solace before Kara disembarked. But the cards had been stacked against him. First, the Foshan hadn't arrived in Norfolk until four hours after Solace made port. Then he had needed to transition control of the Chinese frigate to Yates and update the security and medical personnel here in Norfolk on the condition of the ship and the crew. Once that was done, he had realized that he couldn't abandon Caro on a strange base in a strange city, and so he had escorted her back to Solace to gather up her things. It was only after making sure that she and Eddie both knew where they were staying and how to get there that Danny could finally break away and head towards his new home.

Standing in front of the door, Danny realized he didn't have a key. He knocked quietly, not wanting to wake Frankie if she was sleeping. The door opened a moment later to reveal Debbie Foster, a sleeping Frankie cuddled in her arms.

"She just fell asleep," Debbie whispered, smiling at her son-in-law.

Danny stepped into the room, scanning the space for Kara. Although he had spoken with his mother-in-law numerous times over the past few months, their conversations had generally been focused on the wedding or the baby and Kara had always been on the line. He wasn't sure he was up for a one-on-one with Debbie at the moment. His search for his wife coming up empty, Danny inquired. "Where's Kara?"

"She was exhausted. I told her that I would watch Frankie so she could nap," Debbie explained. She looked Danny up and down. "You look just as bad. Why don't you go join her? I'll knock on the door if Frankie needs anything."

Danny didn't need to be asked twice. After thirty-six hours without sleep, and no more than a few hours a night before that, he was dog-tired. He stumbled through a door to what he assumed was a bedroom and, sure enough, there was Kara lying on the bed. She was wearing another one of his Nathan James shirts and a pair of shorts. Looking around the room, Danny spotted his bag and slipped on some clean clothes. As quietly as he could, he settled on the bed beside Kara, pulling the blanket up to cover her. Despite his fatigue, he sat there for a moment, watching as her chest rose and fell rhythmically. It was amazing how just being in her presence made him feel calmer, more rested, more in control. Curling his arm around his wife, Danny smiled as he fell asleep.

He awoke disoriented. Although the sun was shining, Danny had no idea whether it was the same day or the next. Sitting up slightly, he realized that Kara was next to him, Frankie in her bouncer on the other side of Kara. Hopefully that Frankie would sleep a little longer, Danny curled up to Kara's back, burying his face in her hair, only to pull back in confusion when he realized that the strands were wet. Kara rolled over to look at him, her eyes opening lazily, the corners of her lips lifting.

"There's running water here," Kara informed him. "Hot running water. It's heavenly."

"How long have I been sleeping?" Danny asked, letting his eyes drift closed, tugging Kara closer.

"Fourteen hours," Kara answered. Her fingers brushed over his face, smoothed his hair. "You barely moved last night when I got up to feed Frankie. Did you get any sleep on the Foshan?"

"No, too much to do." Danny opened his eyes again, tilting Kara's chin up so that their eyes met. "I'm sorry about what I said before I left. I didn't mean it. I don't know what I was thinking. Hell, I don't think I _was_ thinking. All I know is that the idea of losing you terrifies me."

"And that makes you do stupid things – like breaking up with me," Kara teased, her fingers coming up to tangle in his hair. "We have established that."

"Very stupid things," Danny agreed, brushing a kiss against her lips.

"Do you know when I knew for sure that you loved me?" Kara asked.

"Almost crashing the Nathan James into the coral at Gitmo wasn't convincing enough for you?" Danny replied with a snort.

"Nope." Kara shook her head, smirking. "That might have been one of those adrenaline things. It was that night on Serrana Bank. Do you remember? I had gone off alone and you found me."

"I couldn't stand the idea of you off crying by yourself," Danny admitted. Cruz had been the one to spot Kara leaving the crowd and started to follow. Danny had actually pulled rank, insisting that Kara should be left alone, only to follow her himself as soon as Cruz was out of sight.

"I know. I told you to go away, that I didn't want to talk. But you wouldn't go. You just held me while I sobbed and you didn't say a word." Kara brought her palm to Danny's cheek. "That's when I knew that you loved me. You don't always say the right words, Danny. Sometimes you do stupid things. I do too. But the important thing is that we're there for each other. We can figure the rest of it out as we go."

"I wanted to be here yesterday, to come on shore together. You realize that this is our first place together and I didn't even carry you over the threshold?"

Kara laughed. "You carried me into our cabin that first night, remember? I thought Tex was going to die laughing."

Danny chuckled at the memory. At least it had been Tex who witnessed Danny sweeping his pregnant wife up and carrying her into their, for the first time, joint space. Burk would have had a heart attack.

"We aren't going to be in this apartment long anyway. You can repeat the routine once we find our real home," Kara teased. "Apparently Louis lined up a bunch of house tours today. He's determined to get us settled and have you working ASAP. He actually suggested that I could go house-hunting on my own to save you the trouble."

Danny frowned. "I'll talk to Yates. You need to focus on Frankie right now. Captain Chandler will back me."

"You mean _Admiral_ Chandler," Kara corrected.

"He's going to hate that." Danny replied with a smirk.

"Anyway, don't worry about me. My mother and Peter offered to help set up the house, and Kelly Tophet suggested that Ava could babysit for Frankie when I start back to work. Apparently Ava is feeling a little bit lost right now, unsure what she wants to do with her life. Kelly thinks that having a job will be good for her, and Ava has been working in the nursery here on base a couple days a week so she has some experience."

"It seems like you have everything figured out," Danny replied slowly, his head spinning. Of course he hadn't expected Kara to sit on Solace waiting for him to arrive but he'd thought he would have _some_ say in things like houses and décor and, well actually he hadn't given any thought to a babysitter for Frankie and Ava _did_ sound like a good solution so he couldn't complain about that but…. He had always known how organized and goal-oriented Kara was. He had just never seen those traits applied to their home life before. It might take a little getting used to.

"Well, unfortunately, after we go house hunting you have a pile of about three thousand applications to look through," Kara commented.

"Applications for what?" Danny felt like he had missed some critical part of the conversation.

"The Lieutenant Green warrior training program," Kara deadpanned. "Haven't you heard of it? It's the hottest event of the winter here in Norfolk. I promised to put in a good word for Johnson. Assuming he doesn't ship out with Solace, of course."

"That kid? He's barely out of puberty," Danny scoffed.

"And he's better off trained and part of the Navy than he would be out in the world right now," Kara replied softly. "That's why there are so many applying. All young men and women that have lost their families and are looking for somewhere they belong. It's going to be a hard figuring out who to accept. It's not just about rebuilding the Navy. It's also about rebuilding our world."

For a minute they were both silent. Then Kara smiled, her eyes glued to him. "So are you ready to start our new life?"

"Absolutely."


	27. Chapter 27

Thank you all so, so, so much for following and reviewing! I love getting your thoughts and feedback. :)

 _Guest_ \- that's a great idea! I'll try to work something up after the holidays and post it as a one-shot. I do love the Burk/Kara/Danny dynamic and that scene is so interesting.

Can't remember if I said this before but I owe Doctor Milowsky's first name to AiP because, well, I think the one that she came up with is perfect!

Oh, and I completely blanked and forgot to say a HUGE THANK YOU TO KAMILAD for helping me sort through ideas on this chapter and how to proceed. The best FF friend ever. :) :) :)

CHAPTER 27

"What do you think is holding Danny up?" Debbie asked for the third time in the last twenty minutes.

Kara shrugged, tamping down her irritation both at Danny's absence and her mother's question. "Yates didn't say when he called. Just that there was some sort of issue with the Foshan. Once Johnson gets back we'll head out. Danny can catch up later."

"You don't want to pick out a house together?" Debbie sounded surprised.

Kara suppressed a sigh. "Of course I do but there were ten houses on Yates' list. It's going to take a while to get through all of them. We might as well start limiting the options, especially since Danny doesn't have much spare time."

Besides, if she waited for Danny, they might be in temporary housing for months. Which wouldn't be so bad except for the combination of Halsey and Frankie. Kara had quickly learned that having a dog in an apartment had the same basic problem as having a dog on a ship – no yard. Inevitably Halsey needed to go out as soon as Kara got Frankie to sleep, leaving Kara a choice between waking Frankie or finding someone to watch the baby while she ran Halsey down to the common area. And no matter how carefully Kara tried to plan it, Frankie was always starving five minutes into Halsey's daily walk. It would have been manageable if Danny was working regular hours but as things were, well, Kara was very thankful that Caro was only two doors down. In the four days since they had arrived in Norfolk, Kara had seen less of her husband than she had on the Nathan James. Although he was technically sleeping at their apartment, he had been gone by seven each morning and hadn't returned until after Kara fell asleep. If Kara hadn't been getting up in the middle of the night to feed Frankie (something that Danny seemed to have no problem sleeping through), she wouldn't have known he was there.

Needless to say, their househunting trip kept being postponed and Kara was determined to go – with or without Danny – as soon as Johnson returned. Yates had conveniently assigned the ensign to escort Kara and Frankie around Norfolk (probably at Danny's request since neither Caro nor Eddie had been extended the same courtesy), and Kara had decided to take advantage of the situation. Today she had sent Johnson to locate a carseat for Frankie after Debbie came up empty. With the surge of refuges into Norfolk, clothing, food and apparently carseats had become scarce commodities.

Kara took a deep breath, wiggling her shoulders in an effort to relax. She wasn't really irritated at her mother or Danny so much as the situation. Yates was obviously in over his head dealing with the recovery of the Foshan crew, trying to make contact with whatever remained of the Chinese government, and outfitting the Solace for its departure, on top of handling his usual duties. She didn't fault him for taking advantage of Danny's presence. And she didn't fault Danny for helping Yates. Establishing communication with the Chinese government could be a turning point in the global fight against the virus, giving them a means of disbursing the cure throughout Asia while Solace tackled Europe and then Africa. No, most of her frustration stemmed from the fact that she couldn't help. Instead of working with Yates and Zaya to figure out the problem with the Foshan's communications system, or even helping with the ground efforts, Kara's days were filled with the much more commonplace tasks of caring for an infant and moving a family. And the longer it took to handle those practicalities, the longer it would be before she could do anything useful.

Not that Kara wasn't enjoying some aspects of the forced downtime. Debbie Foster had cleared her schedule once she learned that Kara and Frankie were in Norfolk, and had spent most of that time with her daughter and granddaughter. Kara was still astonished by the change in her mother. Debbie was a completely different woman than the one that Kara had left behind when the Nathan James shipped out to the arctic. The change was a positive thing, of course, but there were times when Kara looked at Debbie and barely recognized her. They were both feeling out this new relationship. One where Kara was no longer had to take care of her mother.

"Are you sure Danny didn't sneak back up to the Nathan James without telling us?" Caro asked from the couch where she was cuddling Frankie.

"Nope. There was a snoring lump in the bed last night when I got up to feed Frankie," Kara replied, grinning at her sister-in-law. The more time she spent with Caro, the more she liked her. In addition to a wicked (if slightly dark) sense of humor, Caro had a knack for getting information out of people. A skill that had turned out to be very useful in locating scarce supplies such as diapers. Turning to Debbie, Kara asked, "When does Peter get back?"

"Sometime tomorrow if all goes well," Debbie replied. Debbie and Peter were deeply involved in the civilian efforts to spread the cure, both sitting on the civilian committee organized for that purpose and often traveled to prearranged inland locations to distribute the vaccine. Peter had left on such an excursion a few days before Kara, Danny and Frankie's arrival in Norfolk. "He'll be so happy to see that you and Danny are back. And to meet Frankie, of course."

"I'm looking forward to getting to know him better," Kara replied. Debbie and Peter had been together for almost a year now, longer than any of Debbie's past boyfriends. Although Debbie had always enjoyed male company, Kara had stopped interacting with the men years ago, quickly realizing that none of them were going to be in the picture on anything more than a temporary basis. Peter was obviously in a different category and Kara was anxious to get to know the man that had been such a stabilizing presence in Debbie's life.

There was a perfunctory knock on the door before Johnson entered, juggling a large package. "I think this is what you wanted, ma'am."

Kara looked at the box – which contained an infant carseat – and nodded. Given the apparent shortage, Kara wondered how Johnson had procured what was obviously a brand new carseat so quickly. The question was answered by the label on the box. It had been shipped to an address here on base, no doubt ordered in anticipation of a birth that never occurred. Pushing aside a tinge of sadness, Kara began opening the box. No point in leaving it unused. "Good job, Johnson. Exactly what we needed. Let's get moving."

The young man looked pained. "Shouldn't we wait for Lieutenant Green?"

Kara felt sorry for the kid. Danny _had_ implied that they were to stay at the apartment until he returned, and Johnson was obviously loath to go against Danny given how desperately he wanted to be accepted into the TAC team training program. But Kara had commanded enough sailors to know that she could not let him question her authority, no matter how much she sympathized with Johnson's position. She straightened, meeting the man's eyes directly. "You have your orders, Ensign."

"She outranks you doesn't she, Johnson?" Caro's voice sounded amused.

His eyes darting between the two women, Johnson nodded. "Of course, ma'am. The SUV is ready whenever you are."

As she passed Kara, Caro smirked. "So how much trouble do you think we just got Johnson in?"

"Are you kidding?" Kara responded, snapping Frankie into the new carseat. "If this means we pick out a house before Danny arrives, Yates will probably give him a promotion."

Fifteen minutes later, Kara did a double take as they pulled up before a stunning traditional colonial. The house was _amazing_. Two stories, a porch with a swing, and a separate garage. Set back a distance from the street, the large front lawn was surrounded by a white picket fence. It was the kind of house that you saw in magazines. The kind of home that she and Danny would never have been able to afford, back before the virus.

"Are you sure this is the correct place, Johnson?" Kara asked doubtfully.

"Yes ma'am." There was no hesitation in the young man's voice. "Lieutenant Yates suggested this house specifically because of its proximity to the Chandlers' home and because the area is already on the guards' patrol route."

"There's room for a garden," Debbie observed as they climbed out of the SUV. Frankie had fallen asleep during the short ride and, rather than wake her, Kara unsnapped the carseat from the vehicle. She could understand now why her friends had raved about these infant seats, back before the virus, back when you had the option of choosing the type of carseat that you wanted rather than taking anything that you could find. Back when running out of diapers meant a trip to the grocery store. Back when infant formula was not a commodity to be hoarded and used only for emergencies. Back before 90% of the people that she knew were dead.

"The fence would be nice for Halsey. And there is plenty of room for kids. Lots of kids," Caro added with a smirk. Kara ignored the comment. According to Caro's "source", which Kara assumed was Cruz, the crew of the Nathan James was running a betting pool on how long it would take for Kara to get pregnant again. Miller had apparently picked a date nine months from Frankie's birth, demonstrating a failure to comprehend basic biology. Kara planned to make them all wait a very long time to learn who won the bet.

"What about the prior owner?" Kara asked, still not believing that this beautiful house was an option. This was a dream home. There was no way she could move in if there was any chance of the people returning.

"Confirmed dead via hospital records," Johnson replied. "Should we go inside?"

Kara was almost scared to walk in the door, certain that the interior could only be a letdown after the perfect exterior. But she was wrong. Not only had the colonial had been updated recently to create an open floor plan, but it had retained the character of the rooms, complete with original fireplaces and crown molding. The formal dining space could easily be converted to an office area for either her or Danny to work, and the kitchen had been large and bright. There were three bedrooms upstairs and a downstairs bedroom that would be perfect for Caro, at least on a temporary basis. What's more, the backyard was even bigger than the front.

As the exited the house, Kara stopped to take it all in again. "This is perfect."

"Don't you want to look at the other houses or talk to Danny?" Debbie asked.

"No need," Kara replied. "This one feels like home."

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Danny crossed his arms over his chest, letting his mind wander as Lieutenant Yates and Lieutenant Anders, the head of the SEAL team here in Norfolk, argued. It was a scene that had been repeated a dozen times over the past week. Danny had known Anders casually before the virus hit from joint exercises at Little Creek. He was a decent guy and, like Yates, believed completely in the mission. Unfortunately, the two men seemed to disagree on just about everything else – including the best way to accomplish that mission. As discretely as possible Danny checked his watch. 1830. He had one more thing to do tonight before leaving the base but if he hurried he might be home in time to have dinner with Kara. Maybe spend some time holding Frankie. Of course, that assumed that Yates and Anders didn't spend all night arguing.

"The only way to find enough men to crew Solace is to pull all the lands teams back to Norfolk," Anders said again.

"The Norfolk Town Council will never agree to that. Their goal is to reach every community east of the Appalachians in the next two months. We will have to take people from local posts instead," Yates replied.

"With all of the refuges that are flooding the city?" Anders demanded, his voice rising slightly. "If anything we need more people on the street, not fewer. Just last week there was almost a riot at the south processing area. It could easily have gone the other way if we didn't have sufficient personnel there to take out the aggressors."

Yates shook his head, his tone exasperated. "A few drunks getting into a fight doesn't qualify as a riot."

Realizing that the conversation was hitting a tipping point, Danny turned to Yates. "Do we have enough sailors to man the Solace, excluding the tactical teams?"

"No," Yates replied, confirming something that all three men already knew. "Not without pulling the engineering and communications people off the Foshan."

"Admiral Chandler has been clear that getting the Foshan's communications equipment up and running is our first priority. So until we find more sailors to man Solace or until the Foshan is functional again, pulling back the land teams is pointless. The ship isn't moving, no matter how many times Doctor Milowsky asks," Danny said, stating the obvious for the benefit of both men.

Anders looked at him. "Have you picked the candidates for the training program yet Green? Isn't that why the Admiral established the program? To solve this problem?"

Although Anders' voice was bland, Danny recognized the question for what it was – a jab. Anders had taken a number of shots at Danny over the past few days and Danny strongly suspected that it wasn't only because Danny sided with Yates on the issue of pulling back the land teams. No, Danny was fairly certain that Anders' attitude was a direct result of Captain Chandler selecting Danny to handle the training program, rather than asking Anders.

"I've picked two sets," Danny replied, ignoring the jab. "One group has some experience – former military that have been out for more than five years, National Guard, cops, firefighters. Getting them in shape shouldn't take too long. They might be ready to handle routine matters like local patrols in a couple of weeks. The other group is young people with little or no training but plenty of enthusiasm. I know that your schedule is already jammed Anders but if you can dedicate a few hours a day to the program, we can stager the groups and run both simultaneously."

"You have the stats on those experienced guys handy?" Anders asked, his voice less hostile. Danny hoped that the man would see the offer for what it was – an olive branch.

Danny passed over the first stack of files. He'd spent hours pouring over the applications that Yates had passed along. Pulling out the candidates with some experience, even if in slightly different fields, had been the easy part. Those men had already proven that they could handle difficult, potentially hostile situations and many of them had experience in leadership roles. Getting them in shape would be no different – and likely easier – than training Miller. Selecting the other group had required much more time and deliberation. It was comprised mostly of kids like Ray. Kids who had lost their families. Kids who were struggling to find a place to belong in this new world order. Picking among them had been difficult, knowing that rejection might be devastating, the last straw in a world that had crumpled around them. But he hadn't been able to accept all of them. Not in the first round, anyway.

Anders flipped through the files. "Not bad. Some of these guys look pretty impressive. I'm happy to focus on this group so you have more time with the newbies. You want to go over the proposed program with me tonight?"

Danny took a moment to consider his answer before shaking his head. "I have another meeting tonight that I can't postpone. I'll find you in the morning."

To Danny's surprise, Anders didn't push the issue. "I'll be on the Foshan."

"Great," Danny replied. "Yates, can you have someone tell the people on both lists to report for training tomorrow at 0930? We'll split the groups later. The first day I want to meet with all of them."

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Danny knocked on door of the unit that had been assigned to Eddie, making a mental note to have Yates find the man permanent housing, ideally close to where Danny, Kara and Frankie were living. Not that Danny was spending much time there. In the week since they had arrived in Norfolk, Danny had barely seen Frankie and Kara, and he might as well have been back on the Nathan James for all the use he had been when it came to picking out a house or moving. After the third time Danny missed the planned house-hunting expeditious, he had returned to an empty apartment and directions to their new residence. It had been a done deal. And while Danny understood Kara's need to be settled, and loved the house that she had chosen, he was disappointed that they hadn't picked out their first house together. Disappointed that he hadn't been able to carry Kara over the threshold the first night. Disappointed that, instead of painting walls and moving furniture and unpacking boxes, he was spending all of his time dealing with Anders and Yates and a million other trivial details. At least Kara had left Frankie's nursery alone. He could already picture how it would look when he was done, imagining how much Kara would love it – assuming that he ever found the time to start.

"Come in!" Eddie called.

Swinging open the door, Danny was surprised to see Eddie and Rebecca both sitting at the small kitchen table. Eddie quirked an eye at him. "So you are alive. I was starting to wonder if Kara had killed you and buried you in the garden. Not that I would have blamed her. You are kind of an asshole."

Danny groaned. "Not you too. Caro has given me nothing but attitude for days. I'm almost happy that she got stuck with the four to midnight shift at the hospital so I don't have to see her when I get home."

"According to Caroline you aren't sleeping on the couch, so you can't be completely in the doghouse," Eddie replied with a smirk.

Before Danny could reply, Rebecca gave a soft cough. "I should be going. Tyler looks much better, Eddie. I'm not a pediatrician, of course, but his fever is gone and his lungs sound good. Looks like the antibiotics worked."

Danny opened the door for her as she approached. "I heard that you were volunteering at the hospital while you wait for Solace to leave. I know that Yates appreciates the extra help. With so many new people arriving each day, they are definitely short staffed."

"Yes, well, it's good to keep busy," Rebecca replied somewhat awkwardly. Their interactions had been stilted since the incident with Kara in New London, as though neither one of them knew how to behave towards the other. "Dennis has been giving me updates on Solace and sounds hopeful that we will be leaving next week."

It took Danny a few seconds to remember that Dennis was Doctor Milowsky's first name. The man was obviously an optimist if he thought Solace would be ready that soon, but Danny didn't bother to correct Rebecca's information. With a quiet goodnight, he shut the door and joined Eddie at the table. "For two people that don't like each other, you sure do spend a lot of time together."

Eddie shrugged. "I assume that you didn't come by to ask me about Rebecca."

"No," Danny confirmed. "I wanted to check to see how things are going with Kelly and to talk to you about something else."

"Things are progressing. I've spoken with Kelly several times this week and we have sketched out some preliminary ideas for a counseling program that will involve group and individual sessions. Once we have a firmer plan in place, we'll present it to Lieutenant Yates and the Admiral, if you think that is necessary. Just to give you a head's up, though, Kelly thinks, and I agree, that there is going to need to be a mandatory component. Even if some don't participate, listening to stories from others may help."

"I completely agree," Danny replied. "Kara and I also think that having the more senior personnel, us included, openly participate may encourage others to take advantage of the services offered."

"Good though I'll mention it to Kelly," Eddie replied, bouncing his leg as Tyler began fussing. "But as much as I appreciate your interest, Danny, I don't think that is why you came by tonight."

Danny leaned back in his chair, considering the best way to broach the topic. "The tactical group training program starts tomorrow. I'd like you to consider joining us. You were – you are – a good marine, Eddie. We could use more people like you. I know that you don't want to leave Tyler but there is plenty of work right here in Norfolk. Ground patrols, hospital guards, work at the processing centers for new arrivals."

Eddie was silent for a moment. "Rebecca says the reason that Solace hadn't left for Europe is because there aren't enough people for even a skeleton crew."

"She's right," Danny admitted. "We're short on just about everything. Especially people."

There was a heavy pause before Eddie spoke. "I'll think about it." He looked at the clock on the wall, Danny's gaze following. 1955. "As much as I enjoy your company, I need to get Tyler to bed and if you hurry you might get home in time to see your wife and kid."

Shoving back his chair, Danny stood. "We're meeting at 0930 tomorrow if you decided to join us. Yates approved your use of the on-site daycare for Tyler."

Eddie following him to the door. The other man hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Look, I'm not trying to put more pressure on you, Danny. I get that you have a lot to deal with. But I lost my wife. I don't want to see you lose yours because you were too focused on other things. Keep that in mind."

Danny took a moment to consider Eddie's words. Although Eddie had mentioned Amber infrequently since they had met up in New London, Danny had no doubt that his friend thought about his deceased wife constantly. "I miss Amber. It's weird. I keep expecting her to appear, laughing because she pulled a good one on us. She was just so full of life."

"I forget, sometimes, when I wake up and I reach out for her." Eddie's voice was hollow. "I keep thinking it would be better to forget. But those seconds before I remember…those are the happiest moments of my day."

Danny reached over to put his hand on Eddie's shoulder. "We're going to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else."

"I know," Eddie replied. "It's the only reason that I plan to show up for your stupid training program."


	28. Chapter 28

_Thank all of you who are still following this story so much! I hope that I am not painting their lives in Norfolk too negatively but, really, having a baby is hard even if you aren't in the middle of a pandemic! For those of you wondering, we'll be getting back to the bigger storyline of finding the rest of Danny's family soon. Plus, at some point the Nathan James has to come back to Norfolk. ;)_

 _I totally agree with you othfan326. In fact, I actually used one of your lines in this chapter. Hope you don't mind._

Chapter 28

Kara sat on the floor in the middle of the living room nursing Frankie and staring at the box she had just finished filling. When picking out this house, one thing that Kara hadn't considered was that the former owners had not moved out. They had simply left one day and never returned. Which meant that all of their belongings remained in the house, untouched.

For the most part, that wasn't problematic. The furniture, for example, was a positive. Although it might not have been what Danny and Kara would have picked out for themselves, it was functional and good quality. The same was true for the majority of the items in the kitchen, laundry room and garage. Kara had been grateful to find dishes and silverware, as well as plenty of towels and sheets and blankets, as such items could be difficult to locate and many of the houses has been previously scavenged Even some of the food stores in the pantry remained edible, although Kara had spent one particular disgusting afternoon cleaning year-old food out of the refrigerator.

What Karafound difficult was that the former occupants also left their personal belongings. They had been an older couple, the husband a retired Navy officer. From the pictures that covered every flat surface of the home Kara had learned that they had three grown children, two girls and a boy, and numerous grandchildren. She had also learned, from the copious knick knacks that cluttered the home, that the couple travelled frequently, enjoyed fine dining, and adored their poodle. She had run into reminder after reminder of the people that had lived here. The coffee mug that said world's greatest grandfather. The magnets on the refrigerator from France, Greece, Mexico, Argentina. The box next to the front door that held leashes and collars and a doggie towel. Even their clothing still hung in the closet – slacks and dresses and coats and uniforms. The couple's cologne and perfume sat next to each other on the bathroom counter, surrounded by shampoo and makeup and toothpaste. All evidence of two lives that had ended without warning.

The clothing had been the first thing Kara dealt with. Those items were needed for the new arrivals who reached Norfolk daily, often with only the clothes on their back, and Kara had needed the space in the bureaus and closets for their own items. She had boxed everything up and Debbie had taken them to the center where she worked. Kara had done the same with the perfumes and cologne, which Kara knew they would never use, although she kept the shampoo and soap and toothpaste. Such items were too precious to waste even if much of it was past the expiration date.

The pictures, the notes, the personalized mementos, though, there was little need or use for any of those items but Kara couldn't bear the thought of throwing them away. These people had lived a full life. They hadn't deserved what happened to them. Throwing their belongings away felt, in a way, like erasing them. Erasing any evidence of the life that they had led.

Kara had finally decided to box everything up and put it in the attic. Despite the odds, a small part of her hoped that one of their children or grandchildren had survived and would return to claim the items. But upon carrying the first box up the time stairs to the attic, Kara had realized that it was already full. Opening a few of the boxes up there she had found a wedding dress, a baptismal gown, binders full of children's artwork. After the fourth box she had stopped looking, pushing everything to the back of the space to make room for more and come back downstairs.

Now, sitting her feeding her daughter, Kara couldn't help but remember the day that Danny had boxed up all of Frankie Benz's personal effects. He had been torn apart by the realization that there would be nobody left to give the items to. He had understood, long before anyone else on the Nathan James, what it meant to die in this new world order. It meant that there was nobody left to miss you. Nobody left to mourn you. Nobody left to remember you. And even if Frankie's family had somehow survived, the likelihood of finding them, of returning his belongings to them, was so slim as to be unimaginable. Frankie had grown up near Los Angeles. When the Nathan James had re-established contact with San Diego, Danny had asked them to keep an eye out for the Benz family. But none of them expected Frankie's family to be found. So the box of Frankie's belonging, along with those of Bertram and Smith, had traveled with Danny and Kara from the Nathan James to Norfolk. And now they sat in the attic along with the boxes filled of memories of the house's prior owners, boxes that would probably never be opened.

Kara's eyes floated over to the mantel of the living room. After packing up the former owner's belongings, Kara had added two items to the empty space. A picture of Danny, Kara and Frankie – the one that Caro had taken the day that Frankie was born – and a picture of Danny and Kara on their wedding day, surrounded by the crew of the Nathan James. Debbie had given them the pictures as a housewarming gift. It was a first step in making this house feel like a home – their home – rather than one that they were borrowing.

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed the hour and Kara abruptly realized how late it was. She stood, gently setting the sleeping baby down in her bouncer. Debbie and Peter would be there soon for dinner and Kara didn't want them to see the living room filled with boxes. None of them needed the reminder of all that had been lost. Now was the time to focus on the future. Stabilizing the government. Rebuilding the Navy. Spreading the cure.

And praying that there would not be any more boxes to add to the attic.

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"Lieutenant Green! Sir!"

Danny turned to see Johnson trotting up behind him out of breath. "Did you need something, Ensign?"

"I just wanted to say thank you, sir, for your confidence in me. Choosing me as the team leader for the trainees, I mean." Johnson was beaming. Danny had to admit that Kara had been right about the kid. Originally he hadn't been sure about including the man in the program due to his unique situation. Johnson didn't have as much experience as any of the men in the advanced program, either in life or in the military, but he didn't quite fit in the group of newcomers either. Giving him the roll of team leader had been a stroke of genius. Not only was the young man's enthusiasm good for morale, but with a little bit of encouragement the kid's natural leadership skills had surfaced. He reminded Danny a lot of Miller actually.

"You earned it," Danny replied. "Your assistance over the past couple of weeks has been invaluable and I have been impressed with how well you are handling the trainees."

Johnson grinned. "It was my pleasure sir."

Danny watched as the young man headed off. He hadn't expected to enjoy teaching the young recruits so much. Although he had trained men in the past, it had always been field training involving seasoned soldiers. The closest he had come to the current situation was training Miller and Cossetti, an experience which had been firmly overshadowed by the horror of learning about the virus, the loss of his team, and the fallout of his breakup with Kara. Now, though, each day he left with a sense of accomplishment. Working with these kids, helping them grow, was vastly fulfilling. It was taking longer than he hoped for them to acquire certain basic skills – none of the group was going to be a sharp-shooter, that was for sure – but watching their blooming confidence had more than made up for the slow pace.

The training sessions were definitely the best part of his day, far better than the time he spent mediating disagreements between Yates and Anders, a task that had become a regular occurrence. Danny sighed. What he wouldn't give to have the Master Chief here to skillfully convince the two men to work together – or the XO to crack some sense into both of them.

Danny was almost back to headquarters when he heard Zaya behind him. "Lieutenant Green! I'm glad that I caught you."

"I only have minutes, Zaya. I'm late for dinner with my inlaws." Danny didn't bother to hide his impatience, knowing that Zaya wasn't the type to take offense. Danny hadn't left the base before 2200 all week and there was no way he was missing this dinner. Not only was Peter cooking, but Kara had specifically asked him to be there – something that she never did. Nothing that Zaya could say was going to keep him here tonight.

"We have the Foshan's communications equipment up and running and think we have reached a representative of the Chinese government, sir. The Admiral is out of pocket and Lieutenant Yates is dealing with an issue at the north entrance so Commander Zheng asked for you to be present."

Danny sighed. Apparently there was something that would keep him from dinner. "Lead on, Zaya. I'll need a five minute crash course in Chinese politics and protocol and can you have someone call my wife to tell her that I got held up? I'd prefer not to get shot when I do eventually make it home. Kara has excellent aim."

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It was past ten when the door finally opened. Kara kept her face composed as Danny hustled across the livingroom to press a kiss to the top of her head before dropping onto the couch next to her. He looked exhausted, bags under his eyes, and Kara wondered how much sleep he was actually getting. She set her hand on his leg and Danny quickly entwined her fingers with his own. He hadn't told her why he was going to be late. Actually, he hadn't even called her himself. The message had been passed along by woman who Kara hadn't spoken with before, a woman who had clearly been unwilling to convey anything more than the precise message that she had been given, which was that Lieutenant Green would be late.

Looking across the room to the chairs where Debbie and Peter were sitting, Danny spoke. "I was disappointed to miss dinner. Unfortunately there was an emergency on the base tonight. I hope I can make it up to you another evening. I'll even cook."

"That isn't really an incentive. You do not want to eat Danny's cooking," Kara replied with a laugh. After years spent on bases and ships, Danny's cooking skills were mostly comprised of making peanut butter sandwiches. Peter's cooking, by contrast, was amazing. The chicken alfredo that he had served tonight had been mouth-watering. Having a chef in the family did have benefits.

"Did it have anything to do with the distribution teams that are being recalled?" Peter asked coolly. Kara closed her eyes for a second. She had been hoping to avoid this discussion. The entire Norfolk Town Council – including Peter – had been irate to learn that the base was recalling the soldiers sent out with the civilian teams to spread the cure via land. Although the base couldn't force the civilians to return, depriving them of a military escort was pretty much the equivalent.

Danny stiffened slightly and Kara squeezed his hand encouragingly. "It is just a temporary measure while we train new personnel," Danny explained. "A couple of weeks. A month tops. I know that Yates met with the Council to explain."

It was Debbie that replied. "Well you know Louis. The man can rebuild an engine with his eyes closed but when it comes to people he could use a little fine tuning. Pulling out statistics on the death rates in North Carolina versus Greece came across as a little insensitive."

"He did what?" Danny pinched his nose with his fingers. Obviously he hadn't heard what a mash Louis had made of meeting the night before. Kara had gotten a thorough rundown from Debbie earlier tonight. "I'll have a word with him tomorrow. So a rain check on dinner until things settle down? I do want to thank both of you for all your help getting the house set up."

"Given Kara's rave review, I wouldn't miss your cooking for anything," Debbie teased. "It's late, though, so we should be going. I'll see you tomorrow after my shift, Kara?"

"Of course." Kara hugged her mother before walking the couple to their car. She turned back to the house, hoping to talk to Danny for a few minutes before bed, but he had fallen asleep on the couch. With a sigh Kara covered him with a blanket and trudged up the stairs.

Sometimes it felt like Danny really was still on the Nathan James.

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Danny came awake at the sound of a door opening. Without conscious thought, his hand reached for the nightstand drawer to retrieve his pistol, only to find himself groping in open air. Eyes snapping open, he took stock of the situation. He was lying on the couch, fully dressed, a blanket covering his legs and the last thing he remembered was saying goodnight to Debbie and Peter.

"Hmmmm….should I be concerned about this new development?" Caro asked, shutting the door behind her and petting Halsey's head.

Caro. Another person that he had barely seen since arriving in Norfolk. At least Caro hadn't been bugging him about going north to look for their mother and Chris. He thought that being here, seeing the chaos, had given her a more realistic picture of what they would be facing. Finding Mom and Chris – even if they were alive – would be like finding a needle in a pile of needles.

"I must have fallen asleep on the couch," Danny muttered. "What time is it anyway?"

"Just after two," Caro replied. She settled onto the chair across from him looking exhausted herself. "We had a new group of survivors arrive today. All were sick and several were battling organ failure. It took hours to get them stabilized and find rooms for everyone."

"How are you doing on supplies?" Danny asked. With no easy means of producing medicine, Yates had been sending teams further and further inland to raid pharmacies but they were still running low on drugs to treat blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. Really what they needed was a way to produce the drugs – especially antibiotics – themselves. It was on the list of things to discuss with Captain Chandler and Doctor Scott once the Nathan James returned to Norfolk. A list that seemed to multiply daily.

"We need everything, as usual," Caro replied with a shrug. "I never imagined a word where I would be rationing Tylenol. How was dinner with the inlaws?"

"I missed it," Danny admitted, flopping back on the couch. "Zaya finally got the Foshan's communications equipment up and running but it took hours to reach someone in the Chinese government and even longer to convince them that we weren't some looney conspiracy group that hijacked their ship. Sometimes it feels like Norfolk is just one emergency after another. You know I was actually worried about being bored here?"

Caro just looked at him for a moment and they both burst out laughing. A moment later Caro stood. "Tomorrow night? Same place, same time?"

Danny threw a pillow at her before heading up the stairs. Reaching the master bedroom, he stripped down to his briefs and t-shirt in the dark, accidentally dropping a boot as he shivered in the chill November air. Unfortunately the noise woke Frankie, who began rustling in her cradle. Cursing under his breath, Danny picked the infant up and rocked her in his arms, humming tunelessly until he was certain that she was back to sleep. He laid her back down as smoothly as possible. Turning towards the bed, he realized that Kara was awake, her head propped up on one elbow as she watched him. He crawled in beside her, resting his own head on his elbow so their eyes met.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he whispered.

"You didn't. I was having trouble sleeping," Kara replied. In the moonlight her eyes looked huge.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Danny asked, reaching out to stroke her shoulder. "Is this about missing dinner? I'm really sorry about that. Zaya finally got through to someone in China. I couldn't leave."

"That's good news," Kara smiled, but a tear slid down her face.

Danny reached out to brush it away. "Please don't shut me out."

"I never really thought about what it would be like. To be here in Norfolk, I mean." Kara paused. "On the James things were straightforward. I knew what to do and how to do it. Now that we're here, I feel useless. Like I'm not doing anything to help."

"What are you talking about? You found us a place to live, you moved everything, you're taking care of Frankie."

"It's just …there is so much to do to distribute the cure and you are all so busy. You, Caro, my mom and Peter. Even Eddie. I want to help. To start the CIC training program or to take over some of Louis' responsibilities or do ... something ...," Kara paused. "But just the idea of doing anything else is so overwhelming. Frankie can be so demanding. Do you know that I didn't brush my teeth until three this afternoon? I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water and t6he idea of adding anything else is …terrifying."

Danny opened his mouth, and then stopped. "You had morning breath in the afternoon?"

For a moment they stared at each other in the darkness and then Kara started giggling. Danny grinned as she reached over to punch him, grabbing her hand and pulling her until her face was resting on his chest. He kissed the top of her head softly.

"What about having Ava come over to watch Frankie for a couple hours each day? I know that you and Kelly talked about Ava watching Frankie while you work but why not start now? Give you a break until I can help out more."

Kara sniffled. "I should be able to take care of one baby on my own."

"Actually, most people can't. Babies have two parents and if anyone is slacking on this parenting gig it would be me." Danny stared up into the darkness, remembering when Chris was born. His dad had taken a month off work so his mother could rest and recuperate. Danny had left for Massachusetts less than forty-eight hours after Frankie was born. He wondered what his father would say if he were here, if he would understand the constant conflict Danny felt between duty and family, if he would understand the choices that Danny had made. "You're doing a great job Kara. Cut yourself some slack. Things will get better, I promise. Just give it time."

It was a few minutes before she spoke, her voice a whisper. "I really miss the Nathan James."

"I know. I do too."


	29. Chapter 29

Thank you to everyone following and reviewing! Happy holidays!

CHAPTER 29

"I really appreciate you giving Ava this opportunity," Kelly said, reaching over to touch Kara's hand.

Kara smiled at the other woman as she sipped her tea. On the Nathan James Kara had rarely interacted with Quincy's wife. The woman had kept mostly to her cabin unless she was helping Quincy or Doctor Scott and the few times that she had ventured into more public areas of the ship, she had stayed with Ava and interacted only minimally with the crew. Over the past month, Kara had gotten to know the woman a little better and found her to be full of practical advice regarding parenting, as well as a wealth of knowledge about the ins and outs of post-virus life in Norfolk. Kelly also made a decent cup of tea, something that Kara appreciated after becoming used to Rachel's special blends.

"Frankie seems to adore Ava already. Plus, having her watch the baby at the base really is ideal. It worked out perfectly today with her hanging out in the base nursery until Frankie needed to eat and then bringing her too me. You're sure that it won't interfere with Ava's studies?"

"Not at all," Kelly replied firmly. "There are only a few teenagers Ava's age, and many of them have already begun internships so the school program is mostly independent study. I heard that several of the older teens applied into Danny's training program actually."

"Danny didn't take anyone under eighteen," Kara replied. She and Danny had both been concerned to see teenagers as young as fourteen applying to one – or both – of the new training programs. Although Kat and Ray were currently serving as apprentices on the Nathan James, their jobs mostly involved shadowing personnel with the goal of figuring out their interests and the positions had, in many ways, been created for the sole purpose of allowing the teenagers to remain on board the Nathan James. There had never been any question of putting them in a combat role. Still, Kara understood why so many teenagers had applied to the Navy programs. An entire unit of base housing had been turned into an orphanage for children left parentless by the virus, children who had lost not just their parents but, in many cases, their entire family as well as their homes. Kara could appreciate why they would turn to the Navy – the military – to find the security that they so craved. After all, in some ways Kara had enlisted for the same reasons herself. Coming from an unstable home, the consistency and order of the Navy had been a definite draw.

"A smart decision," Kelly replied with a nod. She sipped her tea. "Danny's idea of having the recruits participate in weekly therapy sessions has also worked out well. Having Admiral Chandler _and_ Lieutenant Green support the program has definitely made therapy more palatable. I hope that by dealing with some of the trauma resulting from the virus upfront that we can problems down the road."

"That's what we all hope," Kara confirmed. "I plan to institute the same requirement for the ATCIC program. I might not have quite as much clout as Danny, but I think I can keep this group in line."

Kelly laughed. "I have every confidence in you, Kara. I assume that Lisa cleared you then?"

Kara had spent the morning on base getting her medical clearance from Lisa Thompson, a midwife who had stepped into the role of OB-GYN as the only person on base with any experience in the area. Kara had originally been surprised to learn that there was a need for such a specialty. On the Nathan James she had felt like the only pregnant woman in the world. But, as Lisa had explained, lack of reliable birth control had not stopped people from having sex. Frankie was far from the only baby being born here in Norfolk. "Yes, she said that I can start tomorrow as planned. Which is good, since we are desperately short of sailors right now. We sent every available hand out with Solace last week and they still don't have a full contingency."

"Isn't that always the problem?" Kelly said with a sigh. "Not enough people to do the job."

Taking her leave, Kara gathered Frankie and walked the three houses down the street towards home, pleasantly surprised to see Danny's jeep in the garage. Although he had been making an effort to arrive home at a decent hour, she rarely saw him during the day. She knew that he had cancelled classes today to attend several meetings with Yates and the Norfolk City Council to help smooth over the tension caused by the recall of the land teams. The meetings must not have taken as long as anticipated, which Kara took as a good sign that positive relations had been reestablished.

"Danny?" She called as she entered the house, loosening the ring sling that she was wearing to slip a sleeping Frankie into her bouncer. Kelly had suggested the sling and Kara had found that even a five minute walk would knock Frankie out cold.

"Upstairs!" Kara heard a loud thump from the direction of Frankie's nursery.

"Am I allowed in?" She inquired. Danny had been incredibly secretive about the entire project, insisting that he didn't want her to see it until it was finished and Kara had found his boyish enthusiasm for the project adorable. He popped out the door dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that had several paint spots, his hair disheveled.

"Close your eyes," Danny told her, grinning.

"Seriously?" Obediently Kara closed her eyes as Danny took her hand and led her to the doorway to the nursery. "Can I open them now?"

Wrapping his arms around her, Danny pressed a kiss against her cheek, his stubble tickling her. "Okay, now."

Opening her eyes, Kara was speechless. The room was painted a light blue, the ceiling covered in clouds and stars. On one wall a simple wooden crib sat below a painting of a ship surrounded by icebergs and penguins and seals. On the other side of the room was a changing table, the cross-stitch that Bertrise had made hanging above it. Sitting between the crib and the changing table was a rocking chair and foot stool and Kara's old Raggedy Ann doll sat in a basket next to the chair. Above the seat was a planetary constellation which Kara immediately recognized. It was the one that Danny had brought back with him from Cornwall, the only thing he had left of his home there.

Tears rolling down her face, Kara turned to Danny. "This is amazing. How did you do this?"

"You like it then?" Danny searched her face, looking slightly uncertain.

"I _love_ it. The arctic, the stars, the planets. It's you and me and a little bit of Frankie. It's perfect."

"I wanted something that was just for you, just for us," Danny explained, his voice husky as he wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "Something that was about our future – you, me and Frankie."

Cupping his face in her hands, Kara leaned into Danny, catching his lips to give him a kiss. She felt his arms tighten on her waist before he pulled away just a hair, his breath warm on her face. "You know that you're killing me here, right?"

Kara giggled. "You have a one track mind. But as it happens, Lisa cleared me for _all_ activity today. We just have to be careful. I am _not_ having another baby in nine months."

Kara knew the moment that her words clicked in Danny's mind. He swept her off her feet, heading down the hall towards their bedroom.

Downstairs, the door slammed open.

"Danny? Kara?"

Frankie's wail followed Caro's voice. Kara couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Danny's face, a combination of resignation and frustration. "You were the one that suggested she move in with us."

"Please shoot me if I ever suggest something so asinine again," Danny muttered as he set her down.

"You should come see Frankie's nursery, Caro," Kara said as the started down the stairs. "It's amazing."

"Later," Caro replied impatiently. "Did the two of you hear the news?"

Kara looked over at Danny, who shrugged. "What news?"

"The Nathan James made port." Caro looked back and forth between Danny and Kara, her lip trembling. "They're home."

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"Caro, do you know where the pickles are?" Kara asked from the depths of the pantry. Although she was thankful to have a fully stocked pantry at the moment thanks to a rather successfully foraging trip up to Pennsylvania, she was still trying to figure out where everything was. "Caro?"

Kara walked out of the pantry in time to see Caro jump into Cruz's arms, her legs circling his waist as she gave him a passionate kiss. Behind them Kara could see a look of shock and horror on Danny's face. "What the hell? Get a room already."

"Not a problem," Caro replied flippantly, sliding down Cruz and leading him from the room.

Glancing at Kara, Danny shook his head. "I don't know which is worse. Watching them make out in the kitchen or knowing that they are having sex in the other room."

"You're just jealous that Cruz is getting some," Kara teased as she sashayed past to open the door for Alisha.

"Oh my goodness, Kara, this house is gorgeous!" Alisha stormed through the door, pulling Kara in for a tight hug. "I can't wait to see the rest of it. Wait! Is that Frankie? She's grown a foot!"

Kara grinned at her best friend. "Here, let me show you the house. I have so much to tell you. A thirty minute call once a week just doesn't cut it."

"And I have something to tell you," Alisha whispered, looking around quickly. "Val kissed me."

" _What?_ " Kara squeaked.

Alisha glared at her, " _Hush!_ I don't want anyone else to know."

"But…" Kara paused. The last thing she wanted to do was remind Alisha of Sarah, not when the chances of the other woman surviving were so slim.

"I know, what about Sarah." Alisha got straight to the point. "I loved Sarah. I still love her but … she's gone."

"You don't know that, Alisha," Kara replied, her arm sliding around her friend.

Alisha bit her lip. "Even if Sarah is still alive the chances of us finding each other are so small and, well, Val is here. I don't want to be alone anymore. I want what you and Danny have. A house, a family, someone to come home to at the end of the day."

"And you deserve all of that," Kara whispered, reminded once again of how very lucky she was. No matter how tough things got, Kara had Danny. She had Frankie. She had her mother and Caro. Alisha had lost everyone that she considered family.

"Anyway, it was just a kiss. It's not like we're walking down the aisle anytime soon." Alisha rolled her eyes. "I'm not even sure if the girl is really as lesbian or was just desperate."

"Desperate? On a ship that's two-thirds male? I don't think so. She clearly has the hots for you!"

"We'll see," Alisha replied, smirking. "But either way I am _so happy_ to see you, Kara. I had no idea how much I would miss not seeing your face every day!"

With another giggle, Kara led Alisha on a tour of the house. By the time they came back downstairs, the living room was full. Slowly weaving her way through the crowd, Kara settled onto the couch next to Rachel in the seat that Jed Chandler had just vacated in favor of a rousing game of hearts with Danny, Ava, Ashley, Sam, Kat and Tex. None of the senior officers, including Captain Chandler, had arrived yet, apparently occupied with pressing business, although Kara had no doubt that the Captain and Andrea Garnett would make an appearance. Kara suspected that the XO's first stop would be his family's home in the faint hope that there would be a message from his wife or daughters.

Passing Frankie over to the doctor without prompting, Kara motioned towards Bertrise and Mason. "What's going on with those two?"

"Will formally asked Tom for permission to date her," Rachel replied quietly. "Since Betrise doesn't have any family, he thought it was the right thing to do. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a precursor to asking her to marry him."

"They're young but I think the two of them know what they want," Kara replied. "I can see them staying together for sixty years."

"I can as well," Rachel replied, smiling down at the infant in her arms as she jiggled Frankie. "I noticed that Teylor isn't here. I was a little surprised."

After an instant of shock, Kara doubled over laughing. "Oh, Cruz is here. He and Caro just haven't left her bedroom yet. You should have seen Danny's face when Caro dragged Cruz off for some alone time."

Rachel's eyes widened. "I can imagine that Danny was a little shocked. He is surprisingly straight-laced. The more I learn about him the more baffled I am that the two of you were engaged in an affair in the arctic. It seems so very out of character."

"Well, love will do that to you," Kara replied. She raised an eyebrow at Rachel. "And what about you? How are things going with the Captain?"

"Actually, I have been sitting her contemplating that very thing," Rachel replied, her eyes flitting over to the table where the card game as ongoing. Burk and Wolf were now betting on the outcome, leaning over Sam's shoulder to help him along. "Tom asked me to consider marriage. And I am."

Well, that was unexpected. Kara knew that, despite Rachel's strong feelings for Michael, she had never felt the need to formalize their relationship. That was considering doing so with Captain Chandler was very telling. "That would be a big step."

"Yes, it would. But an important one if I were to have a baby."

"Are you pregnant?" Kara demanded, sitting up straight.

Rachel laughed. "Not at the moment. I never imagined myself having children before. But with everything that has happened, I can't help but look to the future and think that I would regret missing out on that experience."

Both women stared at Frankie for a few moments, silently. Kara could no longer imagine life without the infant. Even before she was born, Frankie had been such a source of hope for a brighter future. "It would mean leaving the Nathan James. Are you ready for that?"

"That is the problem, isn't it," Rachel conceded. "Although, with its laboratory up and running, Solace can spread the cure far more efficiently than we could on the Nathan James. This may be the time for me to focus on other issues. President Michener has been pushing me to address the growing lack of antibiotics, which would require the establishment of new manufacturing facilities."

Kara reached out to grasp Rachel's hand. "I know that, no matter what you decide, it will be the right decision."

By the time the sun set an hour later, Kara noticed that the party had gotten much more rambunctious. Tex had gone on a beer run and come back with enough bottles to stock a grocery store, bottles that had quickly been emptied. Kara had even tipped back a beer herself, despite needing to nurse Frankie, once Rachel had assured her that one beer wasn't going to hurt the infant. The crew hadn't had an opportunity to relax this much since St. Louis – and that evening hadn't ended on a happy note. As though the same thought had crossed his mind, Danny had called in a favor with Anders and there were a number of SEALs standing guard around the neighborhood. At this point more than half of the crew was at the house and the party had spilled out into the yard despite the chilly late November weather. At least they didn't have to worry about the neighbors, since Jed, the Chandler children, Kelly, Ava and Eddie had all come by for the party. Tex had just dropped his pants to show Miller see the scar on his ass – part of a bet over who had been shot the most times – when Captain Chandler walked through the door, followed closely by Slattery and Garnett.

"I think you may have reached your limit for the evening, Tex," the Captain remarked, although there was a note of amusement in his voice.

"Now that is a sight I did not need to see," Slattery muttered.

Ignoring the byplay, Kara passed the men to give Andrea a tight hug. "I'm so glad you are here. How long are you staying?"

Rather than answering, Andrea glanced at Chandler. He turned to face the crowd. "Since I am sure that you are all wondering, I just confirmed our orders with the President. We'll be staying here in Norfolk for the next six weeks while we make necessary repairs to the James. Everyone has tomorrow off. After the past few months, I believe that you are all due a little bit R&R – and from the looks of it some of you are going to need the day to recover. For those of you who would like to look for your families, this is the time. For those of you who plan to remain in Norfolk for the duration, report to the XO for your shore assignments. That is all."

"You're really going to be here for six weeks?" Kara demanded, looking at Andrea.

Garnett nodded. "We didn't have enough time in dry dock before St. Louis to repair all of the damage that the James took from the submarine. We've been scraping along but, now that we've reached most of the East Coast, the Kidd is on its way to Asia, and Solace is headed towards Europe, this seems like the best time to stop for repairs. Our next stop will probably be South America or Africa, and we can't run the risk of the ship breaking down in the middle of the Atlantic."

"So a long trip?" Kara asked quietly, her eyes wandering over to Danny, wondering whether Captain Chandler would ask him to join them. Or whether Danny would volunteer to go even if he wasn't asked.

Andrea followed her gaze. "We would be gone for a couple months, maybe six. I don't know whether the CO will ask Green to join us. We missed him. We missed both of you."

Kara watched as Danny and Carlton started doing card tricks for Sam as Ashley talked to her father in an animated fashion. Bertrise had joined Rachel on the couch. Tex and Slattery were chatting. O'Connor had cornered Cruz, who had finally surfaced. Val and Alisha were chatting with Mason and Wolf. Six weeks. Six weeks ago Frankie had just been born. Six weeks ago they had been in New London. Six weeks ago the idea of her and Danny running training programs here in Norfolk hadn't crossed Kara's mind. Six weeks could be an eternity and she wasn't going to waste time now worrying about the future.

"We miss you too." Kara smiled at Andrea. "Now come see how much Frankie has grown. You won't even recognize her!"

 _Author's note: Yeah – a happy chapter with all of my favorite characters back in Norfolk! Of course, we all know what that means…_


	30. Chapter 30

_I hope that everyone who celebrates had a Merry Christmas! I had a lovely break but have no big plans this week so I should be back to updating regularly. We are breaking into a new storyline and, as always, I am curious to know what you think._

 _POSSIBLE SPOILER: I was very happy to see an article that seems to confirm that Rachel will be back next season and the picture that Marissa posted on IG of her with her mom and sister at Christmas was incredibly sweet. Now I need some pictures of the ladies on set!_

 _Hope you all enjoy!_

CHAPTER 30

Kara woke slowly, snuggling slightly closer to Danny, enjoying the early morning stillness and the warm sun that was spilling across the bed. Behind her Danny stirred but she could tell that he wasn't awake by the way he buried his head in her neck, his arm wrapped around her.

This had become her favorite part of the day. Despite his best efforts, Danny often didn't arrive home until after Kara was asleep for the night. But he was always there in the morning when she woke up (even if she woke to him crawling out of bed) and in those blissful moments, Kara relished the knowledge that the two most important people in her life were safe and sound and under one roof, if just for a few minutes.

Propping herself on one elbow, Kara checked to make sure that Frankie was still asleep in her cradle. Although Frankie now started the night in her nursery, Kara usually brought her back to the master bedroom after her middle of the night feeding since it was the easiest way to get the baby back to sleep and Kara was typically too tired to fight with her.

"Is she awake?" Danny mumbled, rolling onto his back and stretching.

Kara turned towards him, leaning down to give him a kiss. "Nope, not yet."

"Good." Danny's arms snaked around her to pull her closer and Kara winced as her chest collided with Danny. He immediately released her. "Still sore?"

Kara shifted slightly. "Yes. Andrea told me that nursing hurt but I had no idea it would be this bad. Maybe I'll go see if Rachel has any more of that ointment."

Just then the radio crackled to life and Danny made a grab for it in a failed attempt to keep the noise from waking Frankie. Kara scrambled out of bed as Frankie woke, and promptly began screaming her head off. By the time Kara had the infant calmed, fed, and happily playing with her feet, Danny was in the shower.

"What did Yates want?" Kara inquired, walking into the bathroom. She assumed that Yates was the only person who would have called this early. Well, except for Captain Chandler. But given the close proximity of their houses, the Captain would have just banged on the door.

"One of the northern patrols reported shots fired," Danny explained. "Nobody was hurt so either the shooter had really bad aim or the patrol wasn't the intended target."

"Are you thinking drunk kids again?"

With the virus under control in Norfolk and basic needs such as housing, clothing and food being met (for the most part), common pre-virus problems were beginning to emerge – including dumb teenage pranks. Last week Danny had caught several youths spray-painting a building. The week before that it had been a group smoking weed and setting off fireworks. Randomly shooting off a gun sounded like something some drunk teenage boys would do.

"Probably." Danny stepped out of the shower and Kara hopped in, enjoying the hot spray. "I'll drop you off at the base and then go investigate. I'll see if Burk can come along. He's got plenty of practice at putting the fear of the Navy into young men."

Thirty minutes later they had picked up Ava and were on their way to the base with her, Frankie, and Halsey, threading their way through a crowd surrounding the north processing facility.

"I've never seen so many people here at one time," Kara remarked. On an average day, Norfolk might see a hundred new arrivals. This crowd had to be at least triple that and there were more people on the road. Kara noticed several people outside the building directing people south towards the second processing area.

"Me neither," Danny commented. "They could be coming from the same location, though. Yates said that has happened before, the entire population of a safe zone heading to Norfolk. And we've been seeing more and more people from the Northeast as the weather gets colder."

As they reached the entrance to the base, they were stopped by several armed guards who appeared to be turning traffic around. Danny rolled down the window and pulled out his credentials as one approached. "Sorry, sir, I didn't realize that it was you."

"What's going on Schroender?" Danny asked as the man signaled to the others to allow them through.

"We had a flood of people trying to reach the hospital this morning," Schroender explained. "Lieutenant Anders ordered the base shut down except for military personnel so we are rerouting everyone to the processing centers for now."

Kara and Danny exchanged a look. The Norfolk City Council would be furious when they heard that the Navy had turned people seeking medical attention away. One of their major complaints in having the only functional hospital located on the base had been the ability of the Navy to control how medical care was dispensed. Of course, shutting down the base to civilians also meant that the medical personnel and equipment from the hospital would need to be moved to the processing centers, a procedure which was, in itself, a logistical nightmare. This was not how either Danny or Kara would have handled the situation.

"Is the Admiral here yet?" Danny asked.

"No, sir, but Commander Slattery arrived just a few minutes ago. Would you like us to let him know that you are here?"

"No, I will find him myself," Danny replied. "Thank you ensign."

Once they reached the building that housed the ATCIC program, Kara jumped out of the jeep and gathered Frankie, her carseat (in case they needed to find an alternative ride home), and the bag full of diapers, blankets, extra clothing, and toys that now travelled everywhere with them. Sending Ava ahead with the diaper bag, Kara turned towards Danny. She could tell from the serious expression on his face that he was focused on the coming day, the issue with the northern patrol, handling medical care for the refuges, and the training sessions that he had planned. Kara pushed away a sense of foreboding. Nothing that Danny had planned today was particularly dangerous. There was no real reason to worry.

Kara leaned up to brush a kiss across his cheek. "I love you. Be careful today, okay?"

With a brisk nod, Danny slipped back into the driver's seat and whistled for Halsey. "See you tonight."

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Kara glanced around the room with a growing sense of accomplishment. The CIC training program might not have been most of the recruits' first choice, but they were certainly getting a hell of a bang for their buck. The duty assignments passed out by Admiral Chandler and Captain Slattery once the Nathan James made port two weeks had been light, with the clear intent of giving the crew of the Nathan James some much needed R&R. After a year of almost constant activity, however, Kara was apparently not the only person who found it difficult to relax and the ATCIC program had become a regular stopping place for the bridge crew, CIC personnel, and engineering JOs in their "free" time.

Gator had made an appearance each day to walk the recruits through the navigational equipment, Mason had been lending a hand with sonar, Alisha and Val had both come by on several occasions to discuss communication issues, and Nishokia had effectively become Kara's co-instructor. Although there was still a certain amount of hands-on learning that each of the recruits needed, and only time could provide that, having such focused one-on-one instruction had definitely expedited the training progress. It had also given the recruits the opportunity to talk directly to experienced personnel about what each job entailed. Several of the students had already indicated an interest in specializing in one area or another, allowing Kara to narrow the focus of their training. In a couple of weeks they might actually be ready for a few day trips aboard an actual ship and Kara made a note to talk to Captain Chandler about the logistics.

Of course, beyond the benefit of having so much one-on-one instruction, having members of the Nathan James' crew drop by also gave the recruits a certain amount of bragging rights. The TAC training programs might have Lieutenant Danny Green but the CIC training program had the Nathan James' entire CIC team. A bit of a friendly rivalry had sprung up between the programs, with Burk, Miller, Wolf, and Cruz dropping by to see Danny the day after Andrea made an appearance at the CIC training center. Apparently there was now a bet running between the two groups on who would be the first to get a visit from the Admiral. The TAC trainees, most likely, given that Danny was working closely with Captain Chandler on the negotiations with China. Unless …. nibbling on her lip, Kara wondered if she could convince Rachel to come by one afternoon with the Captain in tow. Doctor Scott _and_ Captain Chandler would definitely be a coup.

"Lieutenant Fost…Green?"

"Yes, Mason?"

"Cadet Choy appears to be having an issue." He nodded towards the young woman who had, once again, managed to do something that had resulted in the complete annihilation of the ship in the computer simulation.

Holding in a sigh, Kara patiently waited as Choy explained what she was attempting to do. Mason was not the only one getting used to Kara's new name. On the Nathan James, there had been few outward signs of Danny and Kara's marriage. Kara had moved into Danny's cabin and a few people (mostly Cruz and Miller) referred to Kara as Mrs. G, but officially Kara was still Lieutenant Foster, the Nathan James' TAO, and Danny was still Lieutenant Green, the head of the TAC team. Then, a few days before the training program started, Danny had asked her what name she wanted to use here in Norfolk. Although the question had been casual, Kara hadn't been fooled. She suspected that sharing a name had been important to Danny and, after considering it, Kara had realized that she wanted to have the same last name as Danny, as Frankie. She wanted the world to know that they were a family. So Kara had asked Yates to refer to her as Green going forward, and any hesitation that Kara felt about the change disappeared when she saw the look of happiness and pride on Danny's face the first time he heard _her_ referred to as Lieutenant Green. Actually, the most difficult thing about the process had been updating her name on her uniforms, something that Kara hadn't gotten around to doing yet.

"Interested in getting some lunch?" Alicia asked as class broke. Nishokia had agreed to handle afternoon PT for the group since Kara wasn't entirely back into shape yet.

"I'm meeting Andrea if you want to join us," Kara answered. "I just have to pick up Frankie first. Ava has a test this afternoon and I want to make sure she isn't late."

"Perfect," Alisha replied. "I wanted to check with her about the Kidd."

"Have they reached China yet?" Kara asked as they headed towards the nursery.

"We don't know," Alisha explained. "Their last communication was over twenty-four hours ago when they told us they were turning south to avoid a storm. I am hoping that the lag in communications is due to storm interference and nothing more serious. Andrea was in the briefing with the Captain this morning, though, so she should know more."

By the time Kara had gathered Frankie and her belongings and sent Ava home with an escort, Andrea was halfway through her lunch. She kindly offered to hold Frankie so Kara could get something to eat. As she returned to the table, Kara frowned as another shooting pain ran down her side, rubbing at a sore spot under her arm. Andrea's gaze followed Kara's movement.

"Are you feeling okay?" Andrea asked, her voice concerned. "You look a little pale."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Kara said dismissively. "Too many late nights with Frankie. I _cannot_ wait until she starts sleeping through the night."

"You have a while before that happens. Lily didn't sleep through the night until she was eighteen months old." Andrea chuckled at Kara's groan.

"I don't think that I can survive that long."

Andrea looked down at Frankie. "They sure are a lot of work. Good thing that they are so cute."

"Any news about the Kidd?" Alisha asked as she joined them.

Andrea shook her head. "Nothing yet. The Chinese are getting anxious. Every day that goes by without the Kidd arriving means that more people die. If the Kidd doesn't arrive in the next day or two, we'll try sending a plane out of San Diego. Assuming we can find a pilot, of course."

The table was somber for a moment. The loss of the Kidd would be a grave loss to the fledging Navy, as well as a serious setback to the mission. At the moment, the most significant hurtle in the spread of the cure was that Rachel had yet to figure out a way to create the cure from scratch, without a sample of the vaccine developed using the primordial as a base. That unfortunately meant that each laboratory needed to be provided with actual samples of the cure and not merely instructions in how to create it. Although the samples, and the means of recreating them, could be transported by air, doing so was significantly slower. Unlike an airplane, the Kidd would arrive (hopefully) with a fully functioning lab spitting out hundreds of doses of the contagious cure each day, as well as a stockpile of the aerosol created during the journey across the Pacific. Mass inoculations and helicopter drops could begin immediately, providing a stop-gap measure while the Chinese government set up their own laboratory and began production of the cure, a process that could take weeks.

"Have any of the crew left to find their families?" Kara asked.

"Not many," Andrea replied.

"I thought for sure that the XO would try to find out what happened to his wife and daughters but he's still here," Alisha added.

Andrea didn't respond to Alisha's comment and Kara wondered if the commander had spoken to Slattery about his family. The two of them had become close in the last few months, bonded not only by their joint mission but also by joint loss. "After a year of being constantly on duty, it is probably taking a while for people to adjust to the idea of time off. I suspect that there will be some requests coming in next week."

Alisha bit into her sandwich. "Burk mentioned going north to Chicago. If he does, I might tag along. See if he is interested in making a detour to Wisconsin."

"That's where your girlfriend lived, right?" Andrea asked.

Alisha nodded, her focus on her sandwich. "I know that she is probably dead. I thought that I was okay with not knowing. But it's hard. Not knowing. Not having any closure."

Kara reached over to squeeze Alisha's hand. "I think that would be a really good thing to do. If Burk decides to go, I imagine that Tex and Danny will tag along too. So you would be in good hands."

After a moment Alisha looked up. "Okay, my turn to hold Frankie. I need my baby fix before I go back to coordinating supply runs."

As they dumped their dishes a few minutes later, Andrea caught Kara's arm. "I can tell that you aren't feeling well, Kara. Go see Rachel. The last thing anyone needs right now is for you to get sick and be out of commission."

"I do have a bit of a headache," Kara admitted. "I'll swing by the hospital on the way home and see if I can get some Tylenol, at least. See you tomorrow?"

Instead of headquarters, Kara turned right and headed towards the hospital where Rachel had set up a temporary laboratory. In addition to working closely with Yates and the Norfolk City Council regarding the spread of the cure via land, Rachel had begun to tackle the colossal task of restoring basic healthcare. First priority on that list was a means of manufacturing new pharmaceuticals, starting with several common antibiotics. With supplies critically low and no obvious sources of replacement, President Michener was concerned that a hundred years of medical advancement could be lost. Unfortunately, Rachel wasn't in her office when Kara arrived. Thankfully the ensign manning the front desk recognized Kara and was happy to point her in Rachel's direction.

"We had a huge number of civilians arrive in Norfolk this morning, many of them requiring immediate medical attention. Doctor Scott went to the north processing facility to help. I imagine that they will be moving patients back here shortly if you would like to wait."

 _Not if Anders had anything to say about it,_ Kara thought before asking if Lisa was at the hospital. Seeing the midwife would be a compromise – she was no Rachel Scott – but Lisa would at least be able to give Kara something for her head. And maybe explain the pain in her side that was starting to become rather bothersome.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant Green," the ensign replied. "She is also at the processing facility. Most of the medical staff are."

"Thank you for your help," Kara replied, heading towards the door. As she always did when she was at the hospital, Kara checked the list at the entrance reflecting all new arrivals. This time, however, Kara recognized a name.

 _Joanne Green_.

Kara froze, almost unable to believe the words before her. She blinked, half expecting the name to be gone when she opened her eyes, but the letters remained there clear as day.

 _Danny's mother was alive!_

But as soon as she realized that Joanne Green was on the list, Kara realized whose name was missing. She checked again, reading all of the sheets to confirm, but there was no Christopher Green on the list. Of course, there were dozens of reasons why Christopher might not have been listed while Joanne was. The two might have gotten separated in the crowd. One of them might have needed medical attention and been given priority for intake. Minor children (was Christopher eighteen?) might not be listed for privacy reasons. It could be a simple clerical error.

 _Or Christopher could be dead_.

A lump grew in Kara's throat. Even though he had never said so, Kara knew that, since learning that he and Caroline were immune to the virus, Danny had begun to hope that his mother and brother had survived. He would be devastated to find out that Christopher was dead, wondering if there was anything he could have done to save him. Kara bit her lip, another possibility occurring to her. Joanne Green was not an uncommon name. This woman might not be Danny's mother at all.

Walking outside, Kara waffled for a few minutes before returning Frankie's diaper bag and carseat to the nursery and slipping Frankie into the sling. The processing area was only a quarter mile away. It would take Kara no longer than fifteen minutes to get there and confirm whether this Joanne Green was the Joanne Green that Kara was looking for.

Because there was no way that she was telling Danny that his mother was alive and then finding out that she was wrong.


	31. Chapter 31

_Thank you all for the kind and thoughtful reviews! They make me happy! Happy New Year everyone!_

CHAPTER 31

Danny winced as he passed the office that Slattery had taken over upon the Nathan James' arrival in Norfolk. Although the words were muffled by the closed door, Danny could tell from the XO's sharp tone that he was not in a good mood. He glanced at Yates' assistant. A civilian who had once been the executive assistant for a high powered banker, Leslie was smart, organized, capable, and more than a little bit scary. Danny had learned from Peter, of all people, that Leslie's grandson and only family was a sailor based out of Norfolk and she had taken the job with Yates in the hopes of finding out what had happened to him.

"Is Yates here?" Danny asked, snagging a mug from the stack that Leslie kept on her desk and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"He left to coordinate the transportation of medical teams and additional security to the processing centers," Leslie explained as she continued sorting through the pile of paper on her desk. "Commander Slattery asked to see you when you arrived."

 _Damn_. Danny glanced back at the door. "Should I wait until he's done?"

"No. I doubt five minutes will make any difference. Anders probably screwed something up again." Leslie pursed her lips at the name. Danny wasn't sure why Leslie hated Anders so much but her disdain extended beyond the man to all SEALs, who she often referred to as brawn with no brains. Thankfully Leslie had made an exception for Danny on the grounds that he was smart enough to bag Kara, who Leslie had taken to immediately, and had an adorable baby. "It's been a rough morning."

"I got that impression when you woke us up," Danny replied drily.

Leslie made a face at him. "The wee one did seem a tad upset by the interruption."

"If by 'a tad upset' you mean that she screamed her head off then you would be correct. Pretty sure my ears are still ringing." Danny thought he heard Leslie giggling as he knocked on Slattery's door.

"Come in," Slattery snarled.

Pretending that he wasn't interrupting a heated conversation, Danny shut the door and leaned against the wall with a nod to Anders. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Slattery didn't waste time with small talk. "I need you to scope the road north, Green. Take Burk or Cruz with you. We started getting hit with a flood of refugees before the sun rose and patrols say that the line extends for miles. Not sure if the gunshots the patrols heard are related or not."

"I just came through the gate. We are talking about at least a couple hundred already here and there were more coming," Danny noted.

"We need to know if these people are a threat to base security," Anders explained. "The first group that arrived was from Massachusetts."

Well that explained why Anders had closed the gate to civilians. He was concerned that the group was part of the Massachusetts Alliance. Despite Anders' tendency to be slightly paranoid, no doubt a reflection of the horrors that he had witnessed since the pandemic began, Danny understood the man's concern. After rejecting the President's offer of a pardon in exchange for standing down, the Alliance had continued to cause issues for the Nathan James during its time in New England – blocking broadcasts, warning the local populace against the Navy, claiming that the cure was a lie, and generally being a nuisance. Having some of them appear in Norfolk would certainly be a cause for alarm.

"And you think this is related to the Alliance?" Danny asked, grinding his teeth. Talk of the Massachusetts Alliance never failed to make him think of Tom, his friend's betrayal still an open wound. Rickman had offered to take charge of the prisoners when the Nathan James left New London and Danny wondered whether Tom was still in a prison cell or if he had been released. Given the state of the world, holding prisoners long term was simply not a viable option and, even if it was, the legal system had collapsed with the rest of the government, leaving no means of conducting a trial. Justice for atrocities committed while the virus raged would not come anytime soon.

"We have no reason to believe that the gunshots last night were connected to their arrival or that the new arrivals are related in any way to the Alliance," Slattery added, a slight edge to his voice. "From what I have heard, the majority of the arrivals are coming from a safe zone in Albany that was running low on supplies, which could explain why such a large group is traveling together."

"Did they say how many total?" Anders asked.

"There were fifteen hundred people in the shelter. It's unknown how many survived and headed south," Slattery replied.

"The processing centers are going to be overrun with even half that number. I heard that Yates is sending over additional security," Danny commented.

"Anders sent a team to open up the high school as an emergency center," Slattery said. "That should help with the congestion as well."

"I already contacted the Norfolk City Council and they are going to be sending in everyone available to help with the initial intake," Anders explained. "Once people are processed and searched for weapons, we'll allow them onto base for temporary housing. Obviously we are going to need a few days to find permanent housing for this number of individuals."

That was an understatement. Before the virus hit, Norfolk had been a city of just over two hundred thousand people. When the Nathan James first arrived, the population had plummeted to fewer than twenty thousand. By the time that the Nathan James returned to Norfolk after the trip to St. Louis, the population had more than doubled as people from the surrounding areas began flowing into the city looking for shelter and supplies. But with the population boom, the city's resources had been stretched. Although there was no shortage of abandoned houses, moving a family into a home was not as simple as giving them the keys and the address. Each house had to be stocked with food and many of the new arrivals also needed clothing, especially coats and shoes. Children needed to be placed in proximity to a functional school and, with no working telephones, security patrol routes needed to be established. Most importantly, especially as the weather grew colder, was finding a way to heat the homes. Although Yates had successfully gotten the water and sewer system running, powered by rigging one of the unused destroyer, with the power grid down each building needed to be independently powered. Many of the buildings on base, including the hospital, had emergency generators. The houses in Norfolk did not. While pulling some strings to get Eddie and Tyler into permanent housing Danny had learned that there was a serious shortage of generators. As military personnel with small children, both Danny and Eddie had been given priority status. Others were not so lucky and had been forced to share or were still waiting. Anders had begun sending teams into Pennsylvania and Maryland to raid hardware stores, fearing that the cold would bring a rash of fires as people attempted to stay warm. All in all resettling several hundred people would be a logistical nightmare. There was no way it would be accomplished in a day or even a week.

"I'll ask Cruz to cover morning PT for the recruits so Anders and I can focus on this." Danny straightened, turning to Slattery. "Anything else you need, sir?"

"Not unless you can figure out a way to get those punk ass kids to stop doing stupid things and waking me up at the crack of dawn."

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"Why do you always bring me on these little field trips?" Burk asked as they drove out the gate. The road seemed even more crowded than it had been this morning although Danny noticed that there were now several soldiers directing people towards the alternative processing centers. "Tex seems like the most logical choice given that his daughter is the same age as these kids."

"Which means that Kat might actually turn up at one of these little visits. How do you think Tex would react to that?" Danny replied.

"Okay, fair point. We don't need Tex in lock-up for terrorizing some fourteen year old. What about Cruz? He managed to get Miller in line."

"I see enough of Cruz already," Danny replied, only half joking. Although Cruz technically had an assigned room on base, Danny was fairly certain that Teylor had never used it. Instead he had spent all of his free time with Caro, which meant that he spent all of his free time at Danny and Kara's house. The first few times that Danny had run into Cruz first thing in the morning had been awkward. Thankfully Caro's bedroom was downstairs so there had been no middle of the night run-ins and Danny hadn't seen or heard anything that he would rather not have. Not that he thought his sister was a virgin, but it was still his sister and there were some things that he would rather not know. Caro had laughed at Danny when he the issue came up, claiming that Cruz's presence was fair payback for all of the times that Caro had played the third wheel to him and Rebecca.

Burk smirked. "Did I hit a nerve?"

"Caro's just been on my case a lot recently," Danny admitted.

"So the honeymoon with the family is over? Your sister certainly is not the easiest person in the world we get along with. Personally I think Cruz is a little nuts but …." Burk trailed off and Danny knew that he was thinking about Ravit. After a moment Burk continued. "Are Caroline and Kara clashing?"

"Actually no," Danny said. "Thankfully Caro is saving her snide comments for me. Mostly about how I work too much and how I don't help with the baby enough. That sort of thing."

"I stopped by the ATCIC program the other day and Kara seemed fine," Burk observed.

"Kara really likes training the recruits," Danny confirmed. Although Kara had struggled when they first arrived at Norfolk, things had improved once she was back at work – although getting out the door in the morning seemed to take six times longer when a baby was involved. And despite what Caro thought, Danny had been trying to spend more time at home and help with Frankie. But since Kara was nursing, the majority of the burden of taking care of Frankie seemed to fall on Kara whether Danny was there or not, often leaving Danny feel like there was nothing that he could do. "I think it scares her."

"Who?"

"Caroline," Danny explained. "I think she sees Kara and imagines what it would be like to be married to Cruz and that scares her. Caro has never really been serious about anyone before and Caroline is no Kara when it comes to the patience and understanding department. I don't know how she would handle Cruz being gone for long stretches. I don't know if she could handle Cruz being gone at all."

"Huh." Burk paused. "She's worried about Cruz acting like you so she's trying to get you to change?"

"Yup, pretty much."

"I really do not understand women." Burk paused. "So I am basically your default choice for these field trips."

Danny snorted. "If you don't want to hang out with me you could always ask Slattery for another assignment to find a unicorn and a leprechaun."

Burk, Tex, Miller, and Cruz had become what Danny unofficially referred to as the procurement crew. Officially their role was to work with Anders and his team to search nearby locales for people and supplies that might be useful for the base. Unofficially their job was to find whatever Rachel needed to get her lab up and running. Since Rachel's requirements were always very specific and often difficult to locate, the team had already made several trips outside the authorized grid and Danny was fairly certain that Anders would not have approved the methods they used to acquire the items. Tex was not above bartering or bribing his way to the information or equipment that he needed and, in his short time at Norfolk, had already requested two pairs of replacement boots and three jackets.

"Do not go there. You have no idea how impossible it is to find these things. She needs a 10-20 USV microanalyzer with PCX and not a 10-20 USP microanalyzer with PCX. As if I have _any_ idea what any of that stuff is." Burk groaned.

"You could take some time to go look for your family," Danny replied without looking at Burk. Carlton had avoided the topic since the Nathan James made port and Danny suspected that he knew why. Burk was scared. Scared that this family had died. Scared of what his family might have had to do to survive. Scared that he would never find out what happened. Burk was scared of going to Chicago for all of the reasons that Danny had been terrified of going to Cornwall.

Burk finally spoke. "I talked to Slattery about it yesterday. I figured that we could go to Buffalo first and look for Miller's mother, then make a stop in Chicago to check on my family before heading to Wisconsin to look for Sarah, if Alisha wants us to."

"If you can wait two weeks until the training program is done, I'll go with you."

Burk considered Danny for a moment before speaking. "We can wait if you are sure you want to go. There will be snow in Buffalo. You hate snow."

Danny knew what Burk was saying. He was giving Danny an out if he wanted to stay here in Norfolk, to stay with Kara and Frankie. But Burk and Miller had been there for Danny in Cornwall and he needed to be there for them as they looked for their families. Staying behind was not an option.

"Maybe we can swing by Vermont on the way north," Danny replied. "Caro has been bugging me about trying to find my mother and Chris."

"We are _not_ taking your _completely insane_ sister with us." Burk practically choked the words out and, for just a second, Danny thought that he was talking to Frankie. That the virus had never happened. That Frankie was alive. That the two of them were on their way to meet up with Berchem and Smith and watch a football game and throw back a few beers.

Danny and Carlton had become as close as brothers over the last year, but Danny still missed Frankie so much that it hurt.

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"The line tapers off about two clicks north of the city line. I'd estimate between seven and eight hundred total." Danny reported. It had taken more than an hour of fighting their way through the crowd for Danny and Carlton to reach the end of the convoy, despite travelling less than five miles from the base. Walking probably would have been quicker but, without knowing how far north they would need to go, Danny hadn't wanted to ditch the jeep.

"Any intel on their point of origin?" Slattery demanded.

"All from Albany. They were low on supplies and worried about making it through the winter when a _guide_ came through and convinced them that Norfolk was the place to go," Danny replied, deliberately emphasizing the word.

After the breakdown of the government in the later stages of the pandemic, fear of the virus had kept most people stationary, focused simply on day-to-day survival. As the cure spread and people began trying to rebuild, however, a criminal element had also resurfaced. In the past few months a number of gangs had sprung up that offered to provide safe passage to travelers – in exchange for a price, of course. Anders had been attempting to shut down the groups working near Norfolk but, as with everything else, lack of personnel limited his options. Last month Anders had managed to capture several guides and return the items that they had fleeced from their victims but, after a few days in a holding cell, there had been little choice but to set the men free with a warning to stay away from Norfolk. Danny and Anders both assumed that they had gone right back to business, simply avoiding the areas around Norfolk covered by the patrols.

"Moving eight hundred people would be a hell of a payday," Burk added.

"I'll have Anders look into it. Let me know what else you find. Base out."

Danny turned to Carlton. "On to the secondary objective. Dobbs should be around here somewhere."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It wasn't kids, sir." Dobbs voice was certain, confident. "Kids would have shot off all of the rounds at once. Or passed the gun around and the shots would have been every minute or two as someone built up their courage. This was controlled and systemic over an hour."

Danny considered the man. Dobbs was a former police officer whom Danny and Anders had trained as part of the accelerated program and Danny knew that the man had good instincts. "So someone deliberately shot off a gun multiple times over an hour. And the shots came nowhere near you?"

"They were close but didn't sound like they were close enough to hit us," Evans added. He was younger and less experienced than Dobbs, having just completed basic training when the virus hit. "And we heard screaming."

"Screaming?" Danny demanded. This was the first that he heard of screaming.

"Evans heard screaming," Dobbs explained with an expressive glance at his younger partner. "But there were already people on the road to Norfolk when the shots went off. The screams could have been startled civilians."

"Any idea which direction the shots came from?" Burk asked.

"From the west," Dobbs replied confidently.

"Then let's all take a look," Danny said.

After an hour of trampling through underbrush, the men found what they were looking for. Two bodies lay in a small ravine no more than fifty feet from the road, an adult man and a woman, each with a gunshot wound to the leg. Patting down the bodies, Danny found a wallet. Although empty of money, it contained a license identifying the man as one Gary Michelson of Albany New York. He tossed the wallet to Burk.

"Think that our gangs have moved from fleecing people to killing them?"

"Seems like that would be bad for business," Burk replied.

"The intent may not have been to kill them," Dobbs commented, leaning down to look. "If you want to kill someone, you shoot them in the head or chest, not the leg. They might just have been trying to wound them."

"Didn't Anders mention a gang that was shooting people who refused their offer of protection and then charging the victims double due to their 'medical issues'?" Burk asked.

"But why shoot them this far south?" Danny asked skeptically. "From what we heard the gangs always charge in advance."

"It was a large group. Maybe these people snuck in without paying and just got caught," Burk suggested.

Danny considered the options. Burk's idea made as much sense as anything else. Either way, it looked like they had a particularly violent bunch on their hands. Once the immediate refuge crisis was over Danny would suggest to Anders that they start sending patrols further north. "Okay, let's snap some pictures and see if Halsey can pick up a scent before we take the bodies back to base."

They were almost done packing up when the radio crackled to life. "Base to Cobra."

"Cobra here."

Alisha's voice was calm but tense. "Return to base immediately. We have a situation."

 _AN - I know, I know, you are all ready to kill me right now. I promise that we'll get back to what is going on with Kara and Danny's mother and brother next chapter!_


	32. Chapter 32

_Thank you to everyone that is reading, following and reviewing! FF has been glitchy and there is a delay in reviews appearing so I apologize if you left a review and I haven't responded. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to leave one and I always think about your comments! There are some answers – and more questions – coming! Hope you all enjoy!_

CHAPTER 32

The chaos at the processing facility had subsided significantly by the time Kara arrived, the majority of the new arrivals calmly waiting in small groups around the building as volunteers passed out food and water. The few people still on the road were being directed south, presumably to the other processing area. Many of the refuges continued to wear gas masks, apparently not entirely convinced that a cure to the virus existed (although they had most likely already been exposed as newly vaccinated refuges left the building). Kara slipped into the building, nodding to O'Connor as she passed. Rachel must have banished the guard to the entrance, as she usually did, on the grounds that he got in her way and scared away her patients.

As anticipated, one side of the space had been transformed into a field hospital with several rows of cots and various medical staff bustling around. On the other side of the room lines of refuges snaked around the tables where the civilian coordinators sat inputting information into the computer system used to assign each person or family group with food vouchers and housing, as well as flag special needs such as non-emergency medical care. Once housing was assigned, the next step in the process was for a civilian volunteer to take each group to their temporary quarters. Given the number of refuges clustered around the back entrance to the room waiting, Kara imagined that the Norfolk City Council had called in every volunteer available to assist with the relocation process. She peeked over to see if either her mother or Peter was there, but she didn't see anyone that she recognized.

"Lieutenant Green!" Kara turned towards the familiar voice, immediately recognizing Zaya. She was surprised to see him here, knowing that he had been working closely with Captain Chandler in the delicate on-going negotiations with the Chinese government, negotiations which no doubt had been complicated by the Kidd's delayed arrival. As though reading her mind, Zaya explained. "Some of the new arrivals don't speak English so Commander Slattery sent me over to try to help. Unfortunately, my Hindi is pretty limited but I think I have them calmed down."

"What? There's a language you don't speak?" Kara teased the younger man. "How many do you know anyway?"

Zaya laughed. "Only nine. Well, and a couple words of a few others. But what are you doing here? I thought you were busy with the ATCIC program."

"I checked the list of new arrivals and saw a Joanne Green," Kara said looking around. "That's my mother-in-law's name. I wanted to check it out before saying anything to Danny."

Zaya whistled. "Let me see if I can help you with that." He jumped up on a chair, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Joanne Green! Joanne Green! Please report to the intake area immediately!"

"Thank you, Zaya." Kara had just turned towards the tables to wait for Joanne Green's arrival when a young man crashed into her, almost knocking her to the floor. In an instant, Zaya had the young man pinned on the floor, surprising Kara. She wasn't aware that he had any combat training.

"Please, you called Joanne Green. That's my mother!" The man fought against Zaya, his voice frantic. One of the guards – his uniform said Stone – arrived to help Zaya pull the man to his feet. Adjusting Frankie's sling, Kara checked to make sure that the jolt hadn't bothered the infant, but Frankie was still soundly asleep.

"Sorry about that, ma'am, we'll take him outside and let him cool down," Stone said.

"Wait!" Kara stared at the young man. He didn't look anything like the pictures that she had seen of Christopher. He was taller, and broader, his thick dark hair covering his face. But there was something about his eyes that reminded her of Danny. "Let him go."

"Yes, ma'am." Stone hesitated for a moment before doing as requested.

"You can return to your post," Kara directed. She waited until Stone had left before turning back to the young man, hesitant to discuss personal business in front of him. "Who are you?"

"My name is Chris Green. My mother is Joanne Green. I'm looking for my brother Danny. Danny Green. He was stationed out of here before the Red Flu hit," the man explained.

Zaya opened his mouth but Kara held up a hand to stop him. She was still in shock, only half believing that this could be happening. Christopher and Joanne were here. They had come looking for Danny, exactly like he thought that they would. "Christopher Green? From Cornwall Connecticut?"

Christopher's mouth dropped open. "Yes. Do you know my brother? Is he here?"

Kara hesitated, not knowing how to respond. She had been so focused on locating Joanne Green and finding out whether she was, in fact, Danny's mother that Kara hadn't considered what to say once she found the woman or, in this case, Christopher. After vacillating for a moment Kara decided that she would wait for Danny to make the formal introductions. "Yes, I know your brother. Danny is here in Norfolk. So is your sister Caroline. They're both safe. Now please show us where your mother is."

"She's over there," Christopher replied, pointing towards the cots. Kara thought she saw tears in his eyes. "We got separated this morning and I was sent to the other center. I just found her but she's sick. Really sick. Please, can you let Danny know that we're here and we need help?"

Kara's heart dropped. Although Rachel and Doctor Milowsky believed that Joanne Green was immune to the virus, there are many other ways for someone to die in this new world order. She nodded to Zaya. "Call the base and have someone track Danny down."

"Thank you. I can't believe that they're alive," Christopher said, his voice shaking. As though a floodgate had opened, the words began tumbling out. "We saw the house. In Cornwall, I mean. We went there first. It was destroyed. Completely destroyed and everyone was gone. There were graves everywhere. We found Dad's grave but there were so many that were unmarked…. Mom said we had to go find south to find Danny but I don't think she really believed that he was here. She was just trying to find somewhere safe."

As they weaved through the cots, Kara was so focused on Christopher that she didn't notice Rachel until the other woman grabbed her arm. "Kara! What are you doing here?"

"This is Danny's brother," Kara explained. "Apparently his mother is here but she's sick."

Close to the wall Christopher stopped in front of a woman lying unconscious on a cot. Her face was ashen. Rachel skimmed the chart hanging on the bed and then bent down to examine the woman. "How long has your mother been sick, Christopher? It says here that she was exhibiting signs of the virus but that is impossible."

Christopher stared at Rachel in confusion. "What do you mean? That's what the other doctor said - that she had the virus. We must have been exposed on the road."

Rachel exchanged glances with Kara before pulling the blanket off Joanne. Some sort of clothing had been wrapped around Joanne's leg as a loose bandage and as Rachel cut through, Kara could see that Joanne's thigh was swollen and crusted with dried blood. Kara met Rachel's eyes. Rachel nodded without saying anything. They both knew what that was. A gunshot wound.

"Do you know how this happened, Christopher?" Rachel demanded.

"No." He looked horrified. "We got separated this morning. I needed to … you know … and when I got back the camp was empty and everyone was on the road again. I searched for her all morning and finally found her here. I asked the guard to find Danny but he said I had to wait until my intake was done."

"I'll be back in a minute," Rachel responded. "Once I confirm she is stable enough we can move her to the hospital for surgery. Hopefully we can save the leg."

"Do you know who might have done this? Are the people here?" Kara asked, her voice quiet.

Christopher glanced back at the crowd again. "I don't know. We didn't know anyone in the group well. We met up with most of them outside of New York City."

Following Christopher's gaze, Kara noticed that the room had become even more crowded, as though everyone waiting outside had now entered the building. The lines for the intake table had been disturbed and several men were jostling with each other for positions. An uneasy feeling ran through Kara. Many of these people had probably been here since she and Danny drove by this morning. It would not take much to create a panic. She leaned towards Zaya, speaking softly. "The northern patrols heard gunshots last night. Multiple gunshots. This seems like too much of a coincidence. Let base know."

Zaya's radio crackled to life just as Rachel reappeared and began to clean and rewrap Joanne's leg. Kara noticed O'Connor turn and begin fighting his way through the crowd towards them. "Commander Slattery wants you and the doctor out of here now, ma'am. Apparently the doctor was not authorized to leave the base."

Despite her anxiety, Kara smiled as Rachel made a face. Kara had no doubt who had given the order for Rachel to remain on base, and had no doubt that both parties involved knew that the order wouldn't stop Rachel from doing what she wanted.

"Sometimes it is easier, and more fun, to ask for forgiveness," Rachel muttered with a shrug.

Kara noticed that the men by the far wall had begun moving towards the entrance. "Something is going down. We need to get out of here now. Zaya, bring Mrs. Green."

Grabbing her bag, Rachel followed Zaya and Kara, Christopher a step behind. They had made their way through the patients and were by the small storage rooms holding medical supplies, food and clothing, O'Connor less than ten feet away, when the gunshots started. Screams of terror filled the room as people desperately tried to escape. A quick glance at the entrance to the facility showed Kara that the men brandishing guns were definitely not the guards. The only good sign was that they were firing into the air, the intent appearing to be more to rile the crowd up than to harm anyone.

"Quick, in here." Picking one of the rooms at random, Kara pushed Christopher inside, letting Zaya and Rachel pass her. Her eyes met O'Connor's just as someone grabbed him from behind.

"Go!" O'Connor shouted.

Darting inside the storage room, Kara slammed the door. She turned to Zaya. "Get word to base _now_."

"Help me." Turning to Christopher she began dragging a box in front of the door. If the shooters had seen them, this wouldn't stop them for long but it might give Zaya enough time to get word to Slattery. Once they had stacked a couple of boxes in front of the door, Kara took a moment to look around the small space. "Any exits?"

"No," Rachel answered, briskly wrapping Joanne's leg. "This was an office building, back in the day. The main area was filled with cubicles that are long gone. This was probably an interior office."

"Damn." Looking around, Kara noticed the small, decorative window at the top left corner of the door. Slipping Frankie from her sling, Kara passed the infant to Rachel before climbing onto one of the boxes, startled to realize that she was shaking. Balancing carefully, Kara peeked through the window. The frosted glass distorted the image on the other side, but at least it meant nobody on the other side was likely to notice her. "I see eight of them, all armed. How the hell did they get guns inside? I know that Stone was frisking people."

"Can you see Stone or O'Connor or anyone else? What about the medical staff?" Zaya asked anxiously.

"They have several people rounded up by the side wall. Looks like the intake personnel and some of the doctors. A couple of the other guards that I don't know by sight. I see O'Connor but not Stone. He was close to the entrance and may have made it out." Kara heard Zaya reporting the information as she gave it. "They are having the civilians sit on the floor. I don't see any bodies so hopefully no serious injuries. Oh, and they are starting to tie O'Connor up. _Shit_. Zaya, cut contact!"

Killing his radio mid-sentence, Zaya looked at her. Once confirming that he was no longer speaking, Kara glanced back through the window. "Someone just picked up O'Connor's radio. No doubt to monitor communication. Switch it back on but stay silent."

"Lieutenant? Respond."

Kara recognized Slattery's gravely voice immediately, and from his tone he was more than a little pissed off right now. Through the window she watched as the man inserted O'Connor's earpiece into his own ear but made no attempt to communicate with Slattery.

"Kara, Frankie's awake," Rachel whispered. Kara exhaled sharply. The last thing that they needed was Frankie throwing a fit and alerting the attackers to their location.

Climbing off the box, Kara spoke to Zaya. "Trade with me."

Sitting down next to Rachel, Kara pulled up her t-shirt. There was one sure-fire way of keeping Frankie quiet. Kara winced as Frankie latched, the area under her arm was now burning as though it was on fire. Kara rubbed at her side to try to ease the sharp pains. Ignoring the dawning look of horror on Christopher's face as he realized what Kara was doing – which was somewhat amusing given their current situation – Kara turned to Rachel. "How is she?"

"Not well." Rachel pulled a syringe from her pocket and gave Joanne an injection, glancing at Christopher. "Antibiotics. I can't locate an exit wound so the bullet may be lodged in her thigh, although it is difficult to tell for sure given the poor lighting."

"Is she going to die?" Christopher asked, his voice hollow.

"Doctor Scott is the very best there is," Kara reassured him.

"I will do everything that I can for your mother," Rachel promised.

"While we are waiting, Christopher, if you are up for it I would like you to take a look at the men out there and tell us if you recognize any of them. Be as quiet as you can," Kara added as Christopher and Zaya switched places. A moment later Christopher climbed back down, Zaya taking his place.

"I recognize a few of them from New York City. They were at the shelter with us when some men came through promising safe passage to Norfolk. Claimed that there was food and medical care and even electricity here. Mom originally said no but they were pretty insistent that the road wasn't safe to travel alone. That's when we joined the group coming from Albany. Those men must have joined as well."

"Do you have any idea why they would be doing this?"

"No." Christopher shook his head. "They seemed like everyone else at the shelter, just looking for food and medical supplies. I think one of them said that they were from the north - northern New York or maybe Vermont. I'm not sure, sorry."

"Any change Zaya?"

"No, but it's only a matter of time before they start checking the storage rooms." Zaya paused. "We aren't that far from the side entrance. We could make a break for it."

"Not with Mrs. Green in her current condition and without putting everyone else in the room at risk," Rachel replied.

Kara turned to Rachel. "I assume that you are carrying?"

"Yes," Rachel replied. Since the incident in St. Louis, Rachel had become rather proficient with the small pistol. Kara had given the woman a few pointers, but most of Rachel's instructions had come courtesy of Captain Chandler.

"It looks like they are only restraining military. If they separate Zaya and me from the rest of you, I want you to take Frankie. Get as close to the entrance as possible so you are ready when the cavalry arrives."

"I promise that I won't let anything happen to her." Rachel leaned over to touch Kara's hand, intuitively understanding the trust that Kara was placing in her.

"Here is the plan. We stay here and hope that the cavalry gets here before they find us. The XO knows that something happened and Captain Chandler is probably already figuring out a way to get us out of here." Kara spoke firmly, although she felt like crying. She glanced at Christopher. "Danny will be here soon. Don't worry. He'll get us out of here."

Zaya snorted. "Those idiots have no idea how much trouble they are in."

Christopher glanced at Rachel. "I am guessing that you are someone important?"

Zaya answered him. "That is Doctor Rachel Scott. She discovered the cure to the Red Flu. Plus she's dating the Admiral. And Kara's married to the head of the base's tactical squad." Kara noticed that Zaya deliberately didn't mention _who_ Kara was married to. Apparently he had picked up on her earlier skirting of the topic. "Not the kind of people that you want to piss off."

"I just wish we could talk to base," Kara said. "Find out the plan."

"Can't you switch channels on the radio?" Christopher asked.

"It's too risky. If they overhear us it could get us killed or blow the operation," Zaya explained.

"Actually, there is a way," Kara said slowly. "You speak Russian, right Zaya?"

"Yup."

Kara and Rachel exchanged glances. "So does Captain Chandler. What do you think the chances are that the goons out there understand Russian and know how to use a radio?"


	33. Chapter 33

_Happy New Year and thank you to everyone reading, following and reviewing! There is a lot going on so it will take a couple more chapters to resolve everything. I will try to post again soon! Hope you enjoy!_

CHAPTER 33

Danny didn't press Alisha for details, knowing that none would be forthcoming over the radio. Alisha had told them to avoid the northern processing facility, but that was something that Danny and Carlton would have done anyway given the traffic jam they had run into earlier. Although the road was mostly clear now, making the trip back to Norfolk much quicker, Danny assumed that the processing facilities remained crowded. It would take more than a couple of hours to process so many refuges.

"Alisha sounded anxious. Think they received bad news about the Kidd?" Burk asked from the driver's seat.

Danny gently stroked Halsey's head, which was resting on the console between the two seats, trying to calm him. Although they had bagged the bodies before loading them into the vehicle, the scent of blood and death was clearly upsetting the dog and he was whining softly. "Hopefully nothing too serious. Those discussions have been a nightmare. All the Chinese government does is complain. First they were pissed that we didn't give them the cure months ago when we sent it to Europe – conveniently forgetting that we had no way of contacting them and that the Immunes blew all of the labs up anyway. Then they were pissed that we accessed one of their satellites, even though that was the only way we could figure out how to reach them and the Foshan's first officer authorized it. Now they call every day asking if the Kidd has arrived, as though they wouldn't notice a destroyer entering their harbor. But of course I can't _say_ any of that. I would take teenage pranks over negotiations any day."

"Ambassador Danny Green. Never thought that I would see the day," Burk cackled. "How did you get yourself dragged into that role?"

"I was the only person available when Zaya finally got through to someone. And apparently the Foshan's first officer convinced them that I single-handedly saved the ship when the virus struck. Did I tell you that he mistakenly thought that Caroline and I were married because we had the same last name?" Danny shuddered.

Burk laughed so hard that he choked.

"You laugh but one of these days you are going to be in the wrong place at the right time and get stuck doing this dance," Danny grumbled. He leaned back against the seat, absently staring at the passing buildings as he adjusted his plans for the remainder of his day. Any issue with the Chinese – and that seemed the most likely reason for Danny to be recalled to base – would probably take the remainder of the afternoon. Danny had planned to update Anders on the situation on the road and find someone at the hospital capable of performing an autopsy before checking in on the training program, but Burk could handle Anders and the bodies and if Tex was around perhaps he could give Cruz a hand with the recruits. Captain Chandler would probably use the regular 1730 meeting as an excuse to end the discussions, assuming that they ran that long. If the meeting didn't run too late, there was a possibility that Danny would make it home for dinner, something that he hadn't managed to go in at least a week.

" _I'm home!" Danny called as he closed the door, Halsey on his heels._

" _In the kitchen," Kara called back._

 _The first thing that Danny noticed when he walked through the door was that Cruz was washing dishes. Danny leaned down to give Kara a kiss. "Do we have a maid now?"_

" _Very funny Green," Cruz replied. "I'll be out of your hair soon. I'm meeting Wolf and Miller for a game before I pick Caro up at the hospital."_

 _Kara laughed as she pulled a plate out of the refrigerator. "Teylor and I have a deal. I cook and he cleans up. And he fills me in on Tex's shenanigans. Did he really convince Miller that his quarters were infested with rats?"_

 _Watching Kara pop the plate in the oven, Danny realized that he had missed dinner again. He tried to shake off the irrational desire to ask Kara not to eat with Cruz anymore. Not because he wanted her eating alone, but because he wanted to be the one eating dinner with her. He wanted to have family dinners like his parents used to do. He wanted to be the one washing dishes and telling her stupid stories. Of course, that probably wouldn't happen whether Cruz was here or not. Danny could count on one hand the times he made it home for dinner in the last month. There was always too much to do before he left the base._

" _Apparently Miller ripped out half the drywall before Tex admitted that he was making the scratching noises. Miller was a tad pissed off." Danny fed Halsey and then bumped Cruz out of the way to wash his hands. "And how is the princess doing?"_

 _He leaned over the bouncer where Frankie was batting at small animals tied to a bar across the front of the little seat. As he got closer her eyes fixed on him, giving him a gooey smile as she caught his finger, her arms and legs jiggling._

" _She gets so excited when she sees you," Kara said with an exasperated sigh. "Same with Ava. All I get are these cross 'you put me down' frowns. Or screaming when she's hungry. Pretty sure she sees me solely as a food source."_

" _Uh huh. And that's why you are the only person that can calm her down?"_

" _Boobs," Kara replied. "Like I said. Food source."_

 _Danny's mood improved as he ate and listened to Kara talk about the ATCIC program, amused when she began filling him in on one particularly inept recruit named Choy. "Sounds like you have your own Miller to deal with."_

 _Kara chuckled. "She'll get it. She's smart. It just hasn't clicked yet. Like with Miller. It took a while but he's really become part of the team."_

 _Danny settled on the couch to go over the mountain of never-ending paperwork that he had brought home – training schedules, supply requests, information updates – while Kara took Frankie upstairs to bed. By the time Kara came back downstairs he was immersed and Kara curled up next to him. No more than fifteen minutes later he realized that she was asleep when her book toppled off the couch. Danny reached down to pick it up, noticing that it was about gardens. Having grown up spending significant amounts of time on her grandfather's farm, Danny imagined that Kara had a much better idea than he did of what they could plant around here. He would have to ask her about it later._

"That's unusual," Burk commented as they were waved through the gate.

Danny frowned. There were at least double the number of guards typically stationed at the base entrance, many of them heavily armed. As Burk approached headquarters Danny noticed that many of the vehicles were parked haphazardly at the entrance, as though they had arrived in a hurry. "I am starting to have a bad feeling about this."

A feeling that was confirmed the moment that Danny saw Leslie's face. The usually energetic woman was pale, her eyes bloodshot as though she had been crying. Danny looked around the room – Chandler, Slattery, Yates, Anders, Granderson, Val, Leslie, and Garnett. Something had obviously gone to hell while he and Burk were gone to have the senior staff all gathered in one place.

Slattery was leaning over Alisha's shoulder. "Get him back now, damn it."

"It's not a connection problem, sir," Alisha responded. "I heard Kara in the background just before we lost Zaya. I think she said 'cut contact'. It sounds like they turned off the radio on purpose."

Danny's gut turned to ice at the mention of Kara's name. "What is going on?"

Captain Chandler answered. "We have a hostage situation at the north processing facility. Lieutenant Foster is inside. She and Frankie. So is Doctor Scott."

The words were like a punch to the gut. For a moment, Danny couldn't breathe and it took every bit of his self-control not to slam his fist into the wall. Norfolk was supposed to be safe. A place where he didn't have to worry about Kara being killed. A place where they could raise Frankie. A sanctuary from the chaos and violence of the post-virus world.

 _Just like Baltimore supposed to be._

"Green! I need you focused." Chandler's voice was controlled fury.

"What do we know?" Danny demanded.

Slattery responded. "At 1325 we got a request from Ensign Zaya to send additional security to the northern processing facility. I ordered O'Connor and Zaya to evacuate Doctor Scott and Lieutenant Foster immediately. At 1334 we received another call from Zaya indicating that there were shots fired and no way to get out of the building. He, Doctor Scott, Lieutenant Foster and a couple of civilians had holed up in a storage room. O'Connor had been cut off from the group and his status was unknown. Zaya had begun to relay information on the attackers when the connection terminated. We haven't been able to reestablish communication."

"Tex, Taylor and Cruz are already at the facility but no attempts at contact have been made by the shooters," Chandler added. "We just heard from Cruz. He is sending back a guard, a guy named Stone, who made it out of the building. He should be here any minute and will hopefully have more intel."

"There is one more thing that may be relevant," Leslie spoke up. Everyone looked at her in surprise, but it would take more than the Chandler glare to cow the woman. "Ensign Zaya radioed in at around one fifteen to ask me to track down Lieutenant Green. He didn't say why."

"First question is whether this was a targeted attack," Chandler said. He looked at Danny. "The attack occurred shortly after Lieutenant Foster arrived. Why did she go to the processing center to begin with?"

Danny's eyes shut for an instant. "This morning she mentioned asking Rachel for some kind of ointment. For nursing."

An awkward silence fell. None of them, except possibly Andrea, was comfortable discussing anything to do with Kara's breasts in present company.

"At lunch Kara wasn't feeling well. I convinced her to go over to the hospital to see Doctor Scott. If Kara didn't find her at the hospital she might have tracked her down," Andrea added.

"It sounds like Lieutenant Foster's presence was mere circumstance then," Slattery commented. "Doctor Scott may have been a planned target, though."

Stone picked that moment to appear, his arm and head bleeding. The man was no older than twenty-two and he seemed to shrink into himself as he looked around the room, his feelings of guilt and failure palpable. Unprompted, Danny's mind flashed back to Cossetti. The virus had forced them – forced him – to put young men and women with minimal training in positions that would be challenging for far more experienced operators. The situation this morning had been ripe for disaster. That was the reason that Anders had closed down the base, why Slattery had sent additional security to the processing facilities, why Yates had opened another facility. But Danny knew that, no matter what he said, Stone would blame himself for what happened.

"What can you tell us?" Chandler demanded.

"Everything seemed normal, sir. The crowd was a large one but people were cooperative. Some civilian volunteers had passed out food and water and most people were eating. The wind was picking up so we had just let an additional group of families with small children inside the building when the shooting began."

"Any disturbances or distractions?"

"A young man crashed into Lieutenant Green, Lieutenant Kara Green, perhaps ten minutes before the attack. I offered to take him outside but she declined. He was young, probably a teenager, and it seemed like an accident. Ensign Zaya stayed with Lieutenant Green and I returned to my post. A few minutes later I saw them talking to Doctor Scott."

"Did anyone take special notice of Doctor Scott?"

"No, sir. Per protocol we didn't identify any of the medical professionals by name, simply referring to them as doctor."

Captain Chandler had put the protocol in place after the events in St. Louis for Rachel's benefit. Of course, Rachel's popularity meant that many civilians here in Norfolk had met her and could easily have called her by name. No system was foolproof.

"Where was O'Connor when all of this was going on?" Chandler demanded.

"O'Connor stayed by the entrance as requested by Doctor Scott, sir."

"Where were the other guards when the shooting began?" Danny asked. Grabbing a dry erase marker he quickly sketched the building before turning the marker over to Stone.

Stone paused, his eyes growing unfocused as he recalled the positions of everyone in the room. "Van Buren was taking a smoke break. Averch and Maister were on patrol outside. I was at the front door with Lee. Here. Hynes and Carmichael were at the back door talking to some of the new arrivals from the school. Here."

"What new arrivals?" Anders demanded. "I didn't authorize a transfer."

Chandler held up his hand to stop the man. "Stone, explain."

Stone stumbled through an explanation. "It was a group of maybe twenty people. They arrived approximately thirty minutes before the attack, brought over by a couple civilian volunteers. Said that several families had been separated and they were trying to reconnect people."

"Were the civilian volunteers searched?" Danny asked. That particular topic had been a thorn in the side of the Norfolk City Council, who often fielded complaints on the issue. "That could be how the weapons got inside."

"Lieutenant Anders' instructions were to search all civilians, both volunteers and refuges. Hynes and Carmichael would not have deviated from those instructions," Stone replied, his defense of his team immediate.

"Anything strange happen this morning? Anything at all that stood out to you?" Danny asked, his voice frustrated. Stone hadn't told them anything useful.

"No, sir." Stone paused. "Actually there was one thing. They had their own doctors."

"Wait, what?" Slattery demanded.

"They had a group of doctors with them. Kind of unusual since so many doctors were killed by the Red Flu. Most people arriving here haven't seen a doctor in months. Originally they didn't want our people to help but they relented once Doctor Scott arrived. She was rather persuasive."

"What if this was a plan to get to the hospital?" Burk asked. "The easiest way to get into a hospital would be to take someone who is sick. Perhaps impersonate a doctor. Hell, that's probably how they got the guns inside. Nobody frisks someone who is unconscious."

"But Anders screwed up their plan by diverting them to the processing facility so they had to improvise," Slattery elaborated. "So the question is what they wanted at the hospital that was so important."

Andrea was the one who finally spoke the words that they were all thinking. "They had Doctor Scott right under their noses and didn't know it."

Captain Chandler straightened. "Everyone gear up. Anders, take a team to the south processing facility. Make sure we don't have a repeat. Frisk anyone that you do not personally recognize. Yates, do the same at the school. XO, Green, Burk, you are with me. Garnett, you are in charge here."

"Captain! There's something coming through." Alisha called, stopping the movement towards the door. "It's Zaya's voice but I don't understand what he is saying."

Alisha flipped a switch and the voice filled the room. Danny knew immediately that this wasn't Mandarin, which he could recognize after hearing so much of it over the past few weeks, but he had no idea what language it might be. Danny watched as the Captain's face changed as he listened to the words.

"Give one tap to let them know we are receiving," Chandler commanded. After a minute the radio cut out and everyone in the room stared at Captain Chandler. "They are safe. Hiding in a storage room. Apparently the shooters are listening to O'Connor's radio so we need to keep all communication to a minimum. Any message for Zaya will go through me."

"What do you want to do?" Slattery asked.

Chandler met Danny's eyes. "Nothing has changed. It's time to get our people back."

Determined, Danny turned towards the armory, only to be stopped when Andrea caught his arm. "They'll be okay, Danny."

Danny stared at her, unsure of how to respond. He was not the only person here facing a devastating loss. Andrea had spent months wondering about the fate of her husband and daughter before learning about their deaths. Now she might be losing the closest thing to family that she had left. Andrea's hand tightened on his arm, as though she could read his thoughts, and Danny covered her hand with his for just a moment.

"I just wish…" Danny's voice trailed off. "I knew she wasn't feeling good. I should have gone with her to find Rachel. I should be there with her. With them."

"That's ridiculous Danny," Andrea replied. "Kara wouldn't have wanted both of you to cancel class to go see Rachel. You had obligations. Kara knew that. She respected that. She would never take you away from your duties."

Fury battled with anguish as Danny remembered Kara's face this morning when he dropped her off. He hadn't kissed her, hadn't said that he loved her, hadn't said goodbye to Frankie. He had been too distracted by all of the things that he needed to get done today. Things that no longer seemed to matter. Caro had told him over and over again that he needed to spend more time at home, to pay more attention to Kara and Frankie, to put his family first, but he had brushed her off, certain that once things calmed down that he would have plenty of time to make up for his absence. Now there might not be a later.

 _His father would have agreed with Caro._


	34. Chapter 34

_Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I have to apologize for the awful typo in the last line of the previous chapter. Major fail on my part. I should know better than to change things last minute!_

 _Thank you so much No Name! I definitely plan to keep writing although I have to get this story wrapped up first._ _I love having Kara back in the action too Sarah Carter! She often gets overshadowed by the TAC team's adventures but she is no lightweight! Thank you Tata, Skippy and Anonymous 120! Almost there Guest. I decided to post slightly shorter chapters more frequently rather than one mammoth chapter on a longer timeline._

 _Hope you all enjoy!_

CHAPTER 34

Danny considered the building in front of him before looking back down at the schematics, mentally formulating a route to the small room where Kara, Frankie, and Rachel were hiding. He had been in the processing facility a few times but only had a vague recollection of the interior. Leslie had miraculously located the building's blueprints (apparently she had pulled them back when Yates and the Norfolk City Council were deciding on locations to process the refuges), but unfortunately the plans didn't show any of the renovations done to accommodate the building's current use. Although no major structural changes had been made, the positioning of tables, chairs, cots and supplies was critical to determining the best way to reach his target destination. Stone and Zaya had given Danny an overview of the items in the room, but could give no more than general positions, and "front" or "back" or "side" were not particularly useful descriptions for Danny's purposes. They would have to wing it.

"We should go now." Danny didn't bother to hide his impatience. It had been over an hour and he wanted Kara and Frankie out of there. Now. "There's no good reason for them not to contact us. They know that we are out here. Either they are dragging this out deliberately, perhaps as a distraction while they carry out some other objective, or they are waiting for us to make the first move. If we go in now we might be able to catch them off guard and take them out quickly."

"I'm with Green," Burk spoke. "They could search the storage rooms any time or something – like a baby – could give them away and we immediately lose the edge we gain by having Zaya feed us information."

"Not clearing the building is a rookie mistake," Tex noted. "Suggests these guys aren't in the business of taking hostages."

"What is your recommended approach to the building?" Chandler asked, the question directed at Danny.

"Most of the windows are high, and there are none on the north side of the building." Danny pointed to the positions as he spoke. "We could come from behind this building here. If we stay low and tight once we round the corner we should be able to approach without detection. We take both doors simultaneously, taking advantage of the chaos that follows to remove all hostiles before evacuating the hostages."

"There are eight of them, all dressed as civilians, and they are spread out through the facility," Slattery challenged. "Do we want to risk a shooting gallery without at least trying to negotiate?"

"We can do it," Danny continued, focusing his attention on Captain Chandler. "Two teams of four men. We each locate and neutralize one target. It will be over in minutes."

Slattery shook his head. "There are probably two hundred people trapped in there. One man with a gun can do a lot of damage in a minute of firing into that size crowd."

Chandler paused to consider the schematics before speaking. "Here's the plan. First, we use only our people. At this point I don't trust anyone that didn't come off the Nathan James. Everyone else – including security – needs to be moved a quarter mile from the building. Tell the base personnel we need them on crowd control or something but get them all out of visual range. Once everyone is moved back, Burk, Cruz, and Miller will take position as close as the front entrance as possible. Green, Taylor, Tex, Rowler and Dennis will move to the back entrance. Green and Wolf, your primary goal will be to extract Doctor Scott, Lieutenant Foster, and Ensign Zaya, with the evacuation of civilians to be left to Tex, Rowler and Dennis. While everyone is getting into position I will contact the shooters, provide a little distraction, and see if we can resolve this without bloodshed. Give one click once you are in position. Two clicks means return to command. Three clicks means go. Everyone clear?"

"There's a big problem with your plan," Slattery growled in response. "You are the only person who understands what the hell Zaya is saying. We need you here."

"So we send Commander Slattery. What are the chances that these guys know that there is an admiral on base?" Burk asked.

"They were listening to O'Connor's radio for probably half an hour before Zaya tipped us off. This place was chaos. We can't discount the possibility that someone mentioned you by name, sir." Danny countered.

"Good point." Chandler grinned. "XO, you are hereby promoted to Admiral. Everyone start addressing Slattery by his title very loudly."

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Kara stumbled as she stepped off the box almost face planting into the floor, Zaya catching her at the last moment.

"Kara!" Rachel hissed. "Are you okay?"

Kara tried to brush the incident off. "I just tripped."

But Rachel wasn't convinced. She reached a hand out to feel Kara's forehead, eyes widening in concern. "You're burning up, and you're shaking. How long have you been feeling this way?"

"It's nothing."

Rachel frowned. "I know you better than that, Kara. Tell me what is going on."

"I don't know," Kara admitted. "I've been having pains up and down my side all day, especially while nursing. I started getting a headache at lunch and now I'm freezing. I think that's why I'm shaking."

"That sounds like mastitis." Rachel checked Kara's pulse before she stood, rummaging through her bag before turning to the shelves behind her. "This is not good. Damn it, I can't see anything."

Zaya pulled a flashlight out of his vest but Kara shook her head. "We can't risk them seeing the light through the window. What are you looking for, Rachel?"

"Antibiotics. Acetaminophen. Something to lower the fever, at least. Mastitis can progress very quickly and your symptoms suggest a bad case. There's nothing here and I gave Mrs. Green the only dose that I was carrying." Rachel frowned, hands on hips as she surveyed the shelves.

"We'll be out of here soon and I can get the antibiotics then," Kara replied as calmly as she could. Rachel's concerns were exacerbating her own.

"We may not have the luxury of waiting. Frankie's been nursing almost nonstop since we got here, which means that your supply is already being affected. If she gets frustrated and starts screaming…"

"We're toast," Kara finished the sentence.

"Should I tell the Admiral? Maybe they can speed up the plan." Zaya asked.

Kara shook her head. "I'll be fine. I don't want to distract anyone."

 _Especially Danny_.

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"Green." Captain Chandler hesitated the way he always did when he was about to discuss something of a personal manner. It, unfortunately, was a mannerism that Danny had come to know well.

"I can handle it, sir," Danny replied, answering the question that he assumed Captain Chandler intended to ask.

The man shook his head. "I know that. I wouldn't send you if I didn't trust you to get them out."

"I appreciate the confidence."

"Zaya told me something else and I don't want you to be caught by surprise. The civilians stuck in the storage area with Doctor Scott and Lieutenant Foster claim to be your mother and brother. That is apparently why Kara originally went to the processing facility. She saw their names on an intake list."

Danny's world turned sideways at Captain Chandler's words. They were alive. They were in Norfolk. And now they were hostages. He might have found them again just to lose them. Joy and fear warred within Danny until the Captain's words abruptly sunk in. _Claim to be_.

"You think it's a trick?"

"Probably not, but I can't discount the possibility. The timing is suspect and Lieutenant Foster has never met your family, correct?"

"No, she hasn't. She had seen pictures, though." Small pictures on his phone and a few photographs that Caro had salvaged before the house in Cornwall was ransacked, mostly family pictures from when they were children. Not enough to know, for certain, that the people she was dealing with were Joanne and Christopher. Especially if she had no reason to suspect that they might be lying. "What would be the goal of impersonating my family, sir? It seems like a very elaborate farce."

"I don't know," Captain Chandler admitted. "I know that we discounted the possibility of Kara and Frankie being the targets of the attack earlier, but this new information changes that. If the Massachusetts Alliance is involved, they could be using our people to spring a trap. I don't want you to be caught by surprise."

"Did you tell Zaya about your suspicions?"

"No. I don't want to tip our hand or put them at any more risk."

For a moment Danny yearned for the days when the enemy was clear – the Taliban, the North Koreans, even the Russians. Now the enemy was their neighbors, people that they thought they knew, people changed by the virus and the havoc it wrecked – Granderson, the Immunes, Tom. This guerilla warfare was a nightmare, never knowing whether the people he met were friends or foe. "Damn. Who are these people?"

"So far we have desperate refuges, gangs, the Massachusetts Alliance, kidnappers, and the Borg. Did I miss anyone?" Tex drawled.

Captain Chandler's eyes narrowed. "The XO certainly has his work cut out for him."

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"They're huddled up talking about something," Zaya hissed. Ignoring the chills that had kept her curled up on the floor under a spare blanket that Rachel had found in a box, Kara climbed up next to Zaya on the box and peeked out the window. Sure enough, all but one of the shooters were grouped together.

"It would be pretty easy to take out the guy by the door right now," Zaya observed. "If the assault team is in position this would be a good time to go."

"Actually it would be pretty easy for us to take out the whole group of them," Kara replied. "Between the two of us we should be able to take out at least four of them before they caught on. Check with base."

After a quick exchange in Russian, Zaya shook his head. "Orders are to wait. The troops aren't ready and he doesn't want us exposing ourselves yet. Too much risk to the package."

Kara nodded, unsurprised. Two against eight was never great odds, even if they had the element of surprise, and Captain Chandler might be willing to risk Kara's life, possibly even Frankie's, but Rachel was an entirely different story.

A few minutes later the huddle broke up and several of the men began dragging security guards and medical staff across the room. Kara gasped, hand covering her mouth as she watched in horror. Zaya immediately began relaying the information to Captain Chandler. Would they have to stand by and watch as their people were shot?

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Danny lay on the ground next to the back entrance to the processing center, Wolf a few feet behind, both men pressed against the wall. It had taken more than thirty minutes for them to get into position. First they had waited while the crowd was moved back in case the shooters had people watching them and reporting. Burk had also sent several snipers into positions on the adjacent buildings. Once the crowd had been moved and they had confirmed that there were no people – hostile or otherwise – on the roof of the processing center who might notice their presence, Cobra and Vulture had begun their approach to the actual building, taking a route carefully chosen to avoid being seen from any windows or doorways. Danny and Vulture team had made it to their position a few minutes ago but had yet to hear the single click would indicate that Cobra was also in position. Danny hoped that Slattery had found some way to keep the shooters occupied and away from doors and windows (as well as the storage room) until it was time to go.

He had too much riding on this plan. Nothing could go wrong.

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Once the shooters finished positioning the medical personnel and security guards before both entrances, a tall man with reddish gray hair approached the front door. Kara and Zaya had dubbed the man, who appeared to be in charge of the operation, Red. As he spoke his voice carried through the building and, presumably, outside to his intended audience. "I will speak only with the Admiral."

Kara and Zaya exchanged looks. This could be a problem. But apparently it was one that the Captain had anticipated. A moment later Slattery shouted back. "I am Admiral Chandler. Are you going to tell me what you want?"

Accepting Slattery's response, Red laid out their demands. "Our requests are simple. Ten generators. 18 tons of food products. Your complete supply of flecainide. One hundred doses of the vaccine for the Red Flu. Fifty doses of antibiotics. And a fully fueled tractor-trailer. You will then allow two of my people to depart with the supplies. I will release the hostages once I receive confirmation that the truck has reached its destination. And no tricks. I am the only one that knows the signal and if it is not received in the next few hours, people will start to die."

"They're insane," Zaya whispered. "There is no way that we can spare those kinds of supplies."

"That amount of food will take time to gather and our supplies of medication are limited," Slattery's response was both textbook and truthful.

"He isn't leaving with the truck. Either this is a stall technique – ask for the impossible – or he's on a suicide mission." Kara replied.

"I know that you are lying, Admiral," Red shouted. "I have seen your people driving trucks full of supplies. We only want what is rightfully ours. The supplies that you stole from us."

"He is asking for a very specific medication used to prevent an abnormally rapid heart rate," Rachel whispered. "There is no reason to ask for it by name unless one or these men – or someone they know – needs it."

Kara considered Rachel's comment. "Or they can sell it to someone that needs it. Chris, when you were at the shelter in New York City were there other people with these men?"

"Not that I recall but they arrived before us so I'm not sure. They were friendly with some of the other people at the shelter and Mom talked to the guy who is doing the negotiations a few times," the teenager answered.

"Zaya, tell the Captain to look for any other refuges from New York City. They might have more information about these men."

"Also, tell Tom to suggest bisoprolol instead of flecainide. That should tell us whether he is looking for anything within a class of drugs, perhaps for resale, or something specific for an individual," Rachel added.

"The medication you are requesting is not one that we have on hand. I am checking with the hospital but our supplies of medication are low. We may have some bisoprolol."

"No!" Red replied angrily. "You will give me exactly what I requested or people will die. Is that what you want Admiral?"

"The Admiral wants to know if we can take out the men at the doors, giving our boys an easier entrance," Zaya said, turning to Kara. "I think we can smash out the window. If I take the guys at the front do you think you could hit the ones at the bad entrance?"

Kara stared down at her shaking hands. Normally she would have been confident in her ability to make the shot but, given the way she felt right now, she was more than a little uncertain. If she missed, she could kill the wrong person. A civilian or one of the security guards tied up by the door. Even more terrifying, she might hit someone on the strike team. She might hit Danny. And the moment that she and Zaya smashed out the window they would be alerting the shooters to their position. They would be putting Frankie and Rachel and Christopher and Joanne in danger. But what was the alternative? Waiting for the men outside to begin executing hostages? Allowing the strike teams to come through guarded doors where they would immediately become targets and civilians could easily be caught in the cross-fire?

There was only one answer that Kara could give Captain Chandler.

"Yes, I can make the shot."

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One click. Cobra was in position.

Danny didn't know how long he had waited, back against the building, his entire body poised and ready, when he heard the sound of gunshots inside the building, followed immediately by three clicks over the radio.

Time to go.


	35. Chapter 35

_Thank you all for the super nice reviews! I am behind on responding (sick kids and heavy work schedule) but I do read and think about everything you say! And thank you Skippy for your kind words. I've decided to just ignore our friend in the hopes that he will disappear again._

 _A quick shout out to Scousedancer for suggesting a scene in this chapter. I hope this is what you were looking for. :)_

CHAPTER 35

Gunshots, followed by three clicks. Danny was through the door in a second, Wolf on his heels, but there were no obvious targets. Instead Danny almost tripped over the people sitting on the floor in front of the entrance. Catching himself and stepping over the human barricade, Danny could see two men on the ground before him, one lying still with a bullet hole in his back, the other thrashing and grabbing at his shoulder. From his position Danny couldn't tell who had taken out the two men but the trajectory of the shot indicated that it was someone inside the building. _Please let it be Kara_.

Dropping to one knee before the two men, Danny secured both weapons before they could be used or lost in the crowd. When he and Wolf first came through the door the majority of the trapped refuges had been on the floor, heads down, but Danny could already see some of them struggling to their feet, eyes glued on the open doorway and escape. As Tex and Rowler entered, taking up positions inside the doorway, Danny's attention was drawn to the people tied up before the door. This room would soon be in chaos and, with no way of freeing themselves, they could easily be trampled. Recognized Hynes, one of the men that had gone through the accelerated training program, Danny slid out his knife and cut the man free, flipping him the blade. "Cut them loose and get as many people out of here as you can."

Trusting Tex to take over from there, Danny pressed forward, Wolf at his left. Across the way Danny could see Burk, Miller, and Cruz similarly spreading out from the entrance. But with the shooters in civilian clothing, they merged with the crowd. He motioned for Wolf to head towards the back wall, away from the press of civilians heading towards the doors. As they picked their way through cots filled with the sick and injured a hand reached out to grab Danny's leg.

"Please, help me," the woman croaked, her eyes large with terror.

"We'll be back," he whispered as he pulled himself free, unable to stop himself from wondering how many lives this afternoon would cost. Not just in terms of those who might be shot, but those who had – or would – died from the virus while stuck in this building without medical care.

From the corner of his eye Danny noticed a man pushing his way towards them, his hand tucked suspiciously inside his coat. Their eyes met but before Danny could react a shot rang out and the man fell to the floor. He gave Wolf a short nod of thanks. Three of the eight known shooters were now neutralized, not counting whoever Cobra had taken down at the front entrance.

Unfortunately, the panic in the crowd had knotched up another level at the shot and Danny and Wolf faced an obstacle course of abandoned possessions, overturned cots, and terrified civilians. Danny sighed in relief as they reached the back wall only yards from the storage room that was their ultimate goal. As they skated along the wall, guns at the ready, Danny blocked out the shouting from the front of the room, trusting that Tex and Burk had everything under control. Danny's entire focus was on reaching the small storage room where he prayed that Kara was still hiding.

Moving to the side of the door, flat against the wall, Danny swung the door open. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness – and his ears to the sound of Frankie screaming her lungs out – he made out the form of Rachel holding a pistol on him. "It's us, Doc. Danny and Wolf."

As Rachel lowered the gun, Zaya jumped down from a pile of boxes underneath a smashed window. "You have any extra ammo?"

As Danny flipped the man a clip, his eyes caught on the figure next to Zaya. Christopher. His brother. Despite the Captain's warning – or perhaps because of it – Danny had not really believed that his brother was here. Chris was taller, thinner, broader in the neck and shoulders, his hair straggly, but it was definitely Chris. Did that mean his mother was here as well? The only other person that Danny saw in the small room was Kara, who had been crouched in the corner apparently attempting to sooth their hysterical daughter. It was too dark in the room for him to see her expression but she gave him a quick nod, letting him know that everything was okay.

Wolf nudged Danny's arm, drawing his attention to the main room. The fighting at the front entrance was continuing, the freed security guards attempting to subdue a man as he began shooting randomly into the crowd. Wolf turned towards the occupants of the storage room. "Time to get out of here."

"Just a second," Zaya replied as he bent down to pick a bundle off the floor. Danny drew in a sharp breath as he realized that the bundle was actually a person. His mother. Either dead or unconscious.

"What..." But before he could even finish forming the question Danny's training kicked in. If she was dead there was nothing he could do and, if she wasn't dead, they needed to get her out of here. "Wolf, go first with Doctor Scott. Chris, stay right behind him. Zaya, you're next."

Grabbing Kara's arm, Danny maneuvered her and Frankie between him and the wall, as they backtracked towards the entrance. As they got closer to the door, the crowd became thicker, jostling them with each step. Danny was considering pulling back and trying to find another exit when he saw Tex and Rowler holding back a wave of civilians, clearing a path for them.

"Just call me the bodyguard," Tex said with a wink.

As they cleared the building Danny could see the Captain and XO yelling directions to soldiers moving groups of terrfied refuges back behind a series of ropes. Wolf traded positions with Zaya, taking the weight off the smaller man and then picking up the pace as they headed towards the emergency medical center that Slattery had established nearby. Relieved of his burden, Zaya immediately turned back towards the building, jogging off in the direction of the Captain.

"Zaya!" Danny tossed him another clip just in case. He would need to track down the man later to thank him. For now he had other priorities.

Kara stumbled as they made their way up a small hill, Danny catching her arm to prevent her from falling, really looking at her for the first time. Her hair straggled around her shoulders, her face pale, and she was breathing heavily – far more heavily than she should have been after the short run from the processing center. She was holding Frankie tightly against her, the infant having calmed somewhat as the noise level dropped, her screaming having been reduced to sad little gulps and whimpers. He shifted his gun to his back.

"Let me take her."

Frankie protested when Kara handed her over, but she calmed again when Danny lifted her onto his shoulder, the position slightly awkward due to his vest. He gently stroked her back as they hurried after Wolf. Chris chose that moment to fall back from his position behind Wolf. Danny reached over to brush his brother's hair away from his eyes. "You've grown."

"Might just be taller than you," Chris jested.

"I can still kick your ass," Danny replied in the same vein before adding, more sincerely. "I'm glad you're here, CJ."

"I stopped going by CJ when I as five." Chris rolled his eyes before adding, hesitantly. "I heard that Caroline is here too."

"She is."

"And Dad?" Chris's voice trembled. "We saw a grave. Up in Cornwall. But I thought, maybe…"

"No, he didn't make it." Danny watched as tears appeared in Chris's eyes. He could only guess at what his brother had been through. Even the things that Danny knew about – a year in a safe zone in a foreign state, the trip back to Cornwall only to find an empty home and a grave, the trip down to Norfolk and Joanne getting sick, then to be held hostage – were more than anyone should go through in a lifetime.

"She knew that you would be here. Mom, I mean."

"It is going to be okay, Chris. It's all going to be okay." As Danny said the words, he wasn't sure whether he was trying to convinced Chris or himself.

As they entered the small building that the medical staff had coopted Wolf set Joanne down carefully on an empty bed before giving Danny a nod and departing. The room was still fairly calm, only a few refugees being treated for minor injuries. The majority of the sick patients were presumably still stuck in the processing facility. They would be the last people to be evacuated. Rachel flagged down a nurse. "I need two bags of intravenous antibiotics. Whatever we have but ideally dicloxacillin or cephalexin. And I need a priority evacuation of a patient for emergency surgery once transportation is an option."

"Is Caroline Green here?" Danny asked the woman before she could disappear. He assumed that Slattery had called in all available personnel and that Caro had not wanted to be far from Cruz in case something went wrong.

"Yes, Lieutenant Green, I'll find her."

Danny turned back to Rachel. "What happened? You said that she would be immune."

"Immunity to the virus unfortunately does not prevent a person from being shot. Something that you may want to keep in mind for future reference," Rachel replied. "I need to operate. But not here. We need to stabilize her and then move her over to the hospital."

"Shot? Anyone else hit?"

"This happened earlier, before she arrived in Norfolk," Kara explained. "Those gunshots that the patrol heard? I think we found the victim."

"But Burk and I already found two…" Danny trailed off, not wanting to discuss dead bodies in front of his younger brother.

Chris crouched by Joanne, clasping her hand. "I don't know what happened. We got separated and when I found her she was like this."

"We can figure out what happened once she wakes up," Kara said softly, her hand touching Danny's arm.

Rachel turned to Kara as she located a thermometer. "You, sit down. Temperature 104. Definitely mastitis. The antibiotics should clear it up if it isn't too far gone. For now stay in that chair. I'm going to find you some water to drink."

 _What the hell?_

"Kara, what is going on?" Danny demanded, his attention immediately turning from his mother to his wife.

"Just an infection. No big deal." Kara shrugged, but the frown on Rachel's face told Danny a different story.

"I expect you to stay in bed for at least two days," Rachel said firmly. "I will make it an order from the Admiral if I have to."

"Danny? Are you okay? Kara? Is it Teylor?" Caro's frantic voice died as she caught a glimpse of her younger brother. "Chris?"

Danny watched as the two embraced, etching the sight in his memory. Tears rolled down both Caroline and Chris's faces as they clung to each other.

Caro stepped back and pressed her hands to Chris's cheeks. "When did you get here? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"They were stuck inside the center," Danny explained.

"They..." Caro looked around until her eyes fell on Joanne, lying so very still on the bed. With a strangled cry Caro checked her vitals. "She's still alive. I assume the IV is for her?"

"One for your mother and one for Kara," Rachel explained as she hooked up Kara's IV. "Mrs. Green needs surgery once we can move her. I already put in a request but we need to wait for the area to be cleared. She has a gunshot wound to the lower leg."

Caro glanced over at Danny, who shook his head with a nod towards Chris. They could talk later, away from Chris.

"I wanted to look for you but we didn't know where you were," Caro said instead, her hands on her younger brother's face. "You look so different!"

"We were in Bennington, Vermont. The whole soccer team was stuck there when the quarantines went into place. At the beginning it was okay but then the power went out and we started to run out of food. Mr. Moses was in charge of gathering supplies and one day he just didn't come back. People started leaving but Mom wouldn't go. She said that breaking quarantine would just keep spreading the Red Flu. A couple weeks ago Steve's dad found us. He had the vaccine with him. That's when we headed home. You know the rest." Chris shrugged, the struggles and turmoil of a year summed up in a few short sentences. "What happened to you? Were you in Cornwall?"

"I was," Caro confirmed. "With Dad. He was at the school when he was exposed. I stayed there until Danny found me a couple months ago."

Danny noticed Caro's choice of words, deliberately avoiding the mention of the destruction of the house, the looting, the killing. "Caro and I have been in Norfolk for about two months now. Before that I was on my ship. Looking for the cure."

"And doing a few other things," Caro muttered under her breath.

Danny took the hint. He extracted Frankie from her spot curled up around his neck so she was facing Chris. "I guess I should introduce you to this little princess."

"It's kind of funny seeing you hold a baby," Chris said, wrinkling his nose at Danny.

Danny glanced at Kara, who shook her head. He grinned at Chris. "Actually, this baby is pretty special. This is my daughter. Frankie. Your niece."

Chris's dazed stare went back and forth between Danny and Kara.

"And you've already met Kara, my wife."

Danny expected Christ to be shocked. But Danny hadn't anticipated the anger that flared in his brother's eyes. "You're married? You have a _baby_?"

Warned by the resentment in his brother's voice, Danny considered his next words carefully. "Kara and I met before the virus hit. We were both on the Nathan James. Since the ship was at EMCON we didn't know what was happening here. A lot has changed since then, of course…"

But Chris wasn't waiting. "A lot has changed? Do you think I don't know that? I woke up every day of the last year wondering whether I was going to die. And you were doing what? Getting married? Having a baby? Did you care what happened to us? Did you even look for us? Or were you too busy with your new family."

"Chris, it's not that simple," Caro interjected. "Danny couldn't leave the ship. They were looking for the cure. They _found_ the cure."

"But you found a way to look for Caroline," Chris observed bitterly.

"I didn't know where you were," Danny replied as calmly as he could. Chris had been through a lot – both today and over the last year. The last thing Danny wanted to do right now was fight with his brother.

"You found Caroline two months ago. Two months that Mom and I spent in a shelter and then trying to find you! Did you even try to find us?"

"No." Danny couldn't lie to his brother. "I knew that you would come here eventually if you were alive."

"I see. Well, maybe if you had tried to find us then Mom wouldn't be dying." Chris looked between his two siblings, before starting towards the door.

"Where do you think you are going?" Danny barked, his voice rising.

Chris stopped at the doorway. "Somewhere away from you."

Danny closed his eyes. He had handled that badly. He should have….well, actually Danny had no idea how he should have introduced his brother to his wife and daughter. He should go talk to Chris, try to explain, make his brother understand. But he didn't want to let Kara or Frankie out of his sight right now. Not when Kara was sick. Not when they might still be in danger.

"Let him go." Kara's words were soft. "The important thing is that he's alive and he's here in Norfolk. He probably just needs some time. You can figure everything else out later."

"He has every right to be angry at me," Danny's voice cracked. He reached down to touch Frankie's soft head, stroke her tiny cheek. "He was waiting for me to come find them, to help them, and I never came. I let him down and Mom might die because of it."

"I'll go talk to him," Caro said.

After she left, Kara reached over to rest her hand on Danny's thigh. They sat in silence as the room began to fill with people needing medical attention, although so far everything had been minor. Growing antsy, Danny stood to look out the window, trying to see what was going on at the processing center, his need to know whether they had successfully neutralized the threat conflicting with his need to keep Kara in his sight.

" _Rachel_."

The Captain's gravelly voice carried across the room, catching all of their attention. Rachel froze for a second before turning towards the doorway, a flush spreading across her face. "Tom."

"If I could have a word?" The Captain's question hung in the air for a moment before Rachel flung herself into his arms in a display of emotion that Danny had never imaged seeing. Tom Chandler's arms closed around the doctor and he buried his head in her hair.

Kara glanced at Danny, biting her lip to stop a giggle.

Rachel raised her head, her attention completely on the Captain. "The answer to that question you haven't asked is yes."

Captain Chandler's shock quickly gave way to a slightly calculated look, his lips curling into a smile. Next to him Danny heard Kara gasp and he turned to her, opening his mouth to ask her what was going on, but Kara just elbowed him, her attention fully on the couple before them. The Captain raised one hand to cup Rachel's chin. "You mean whether you would like to see my children on a daily basis?"

"Well, that isn't the question I was thinking about but the answer to that question is also yes. Ashley and Sam are amazing. I love every moment that I spend with them." Rachel smiled up at Captain Chandler, her head tilting coquettishly to the side.

"Oh, you mean whether you might be able to tolerate my father on a long-term basis?"

"Although Jed is a wonderful man, that wasn't what I was thinking about either."

"Hmmmm…." Captain Chandler's eyes sparkled. "I know! You want to move into my house!"

"Well, yes, but as I recall there were some conditions to that arrangement. Once particularly big condition," Rachel replied, her fingers tangling with Tom's.

Even Danny was not oblivious enough to miss _that_ byplay.

Captain Chandler reached into his chest pocket, pulling out something small and shiny. "Then it is a good thing that I happen to have this with me." Grasping Rachel's left hand, the Captain slide the ring firmly onto her ring finger before leaning down to give her a soft kiss.

"Hey Commodore, XO's looking…" Tex stopped cold at the sight before him. "Never mind. I'm sure that Slattery doesn't mind playing Admiral for a little while longer."


	36. Chapter 36

_Thank everyone who has taken the time to read – especially those who leave me reviews! Hope you all enjoy the new chapter!_

Chapter 36

Kara woke to callused fingers brushing across the side of her face. As she blinked Danny's face swam into view. She frowned, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling for several seconds before remembering where she was. The hospital on base. After waiting for what seemed like forever, Rachel had succeeded in getting Joanne Green moved to the hospital for surgery. Kara realized that she must have fallen asleep while they were waiting because she was now lying on a hospital bed, Frankie beside her in a bassinet. Focusing back on Danny she turned her head to the side to press a kiss to his palm, her other hand reaching up to grasp his arm. He looked exhausted.

"How is your mother?"

"She's out of surgery but still in recovery. Rachel was rather unhappy when she found out that you were still here. I'm going to have Eddie take you back to the house. Debbie and Peter are there and I'll be home as soon as we know that Mom is out of the woods."

"Come here." Kara reached up to stroke his cheek softly. When Danny hesitated she slid both arms around his back and tugged gently. They had not had a moment alone since they left the processing center and right now she needed to reassure herself that he was alive and unharmed. "Just for a minute. Please."

"Kara. Eddie is right outside the door." His voice was deeper, huskier than usual and Kara knew that Danny was feeling the same tension that she was, both of their emotions still raw from the events of the day.

"And you are trying to tell me that Eddie has _never_ caught you at a compromising position?" She arched an eyebrow at him.

The corner of Danny's mouth twisted into a grin. "He might have seen my bare ass on occasion or two but not since college."

"Well I'm not asking you to take your clothes off. All I want is to kiss my husband," Kara wheedled. She knew that she had won when the mattress sagged under Danny's knee before he stretched out next to her, his arms wrapping around her to pull her close, careful not to compress her side or chest.

"I'll stay for a minute but if Rachel catches us I am going to tell her that this was all your fault. Pretty sure that this would be on her no-no list."

Kara wiggled until they were face to face, cupping his face as she kissed him, gently at first and then with growing urgency as she thought about how close she had come to never doing this again, to never seeing him again. They were both breathing heavily when Kara pulled away, her arms still wrapped tightly around him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming for us. For saving us."

"I didn't even fire my gun. You and Zaya took down three of the men before we even got inside," Danny commented, his voice harsh, self-deprecating.

"I couldn't take the chance of one of them shooting you," Kara whispered. "I was so scared. Knowing that you were about to come through that door. Terrified that I would see you get shot. That I would see you die."

"When I heard that you were at that center…." His voice broke and he buried his head in her hair, his shoulders shaking. " _God_. I don't know what I do if I lost you."

"I know." Kara ran her hands over his back, reassuring them both. "But I'm fine. Frankie's fine. You're fine. We're all okay."

A minute later he raised his head to look at her again. "Zaya said you went to the center looking for my mother. Why didn't you tell me?" Danny's voice was soft but Kara could hear the underlying hurt, the anger. She grimaced.

"I was going to call you when I saw your mother's name on the list but then I realized that Chris's name wasn't there. And I started to worry that it wouldn't be the right Joanne Green. I needed to know for sure. I couldn't bear to tell you that I had found out your mother and then be wrong."

Danny shook his head, one hand grasping her arm. "I should have been there with you. Maybe I could have done something. Maybe it wouldn't have turned out the way that it did."

"No." Kara spoke firmly. "You need to stop this, Danny. Andrea told me what you said earlier. You need to stop blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens. Norfolk is _safe_. There was no reason to think that someone was going to attack the processing center. I know that you want to protect me and Frankie – that you want to protect your family and your team and everyone else. But you need to stop beating yourself up for things that are not your fault. You aren't responsible for what happened today and you aren't responsible for what happened to your mother or your father – no matter what Chris said."

Danny groaned. "The look on his face, Kara. He was so betrayed. He was counting on me to find them and I let him down."

"I know what Chris said earlier hurt – but he's wrong. You have obligations here Danny, and I don't mean me and Frankie, I mean to the mission. Chris doesn't appreciate how important what you – what we – do here is. Look at Commander Slattery. Do you think that he _wants_ to stay here when his family is still missing? Of course not! But he knows that the best way to find his family is to spread the cure as widely as possible so they can safely return to Norfolk and find him. And that is what happened with Joanne and Chris. Once it was safe do so they went to Cornwall to look for Caroline, and then they came here to look for you. You did the right thing, Danny."

"I hope so." Danny leaned his forehead against Kara's, his breath hot against her cheek. "I know how lucky I am. So many people lost their entire family. And not only do I have you and Frankie, but I also have Caro and Chris and my mother. This just isn't how I pictured the reunion."

"Really? You didn't picture yourself rescuing your brother from a closet where he was hiding from gunmen? I can't imagine why." Kara rolled her eyes. She pulled herself away from Danny and propped her head up on an elbow so she was looking down at him. Absently she traced his bottom lip with her thumb. "I'm sure that it isn't how Chris pictured it either. He's obviously upset about your mother and everything that happened today and he lashed out at you."

"I told Chris that he could stay with us. I probably should have cleared that with you first. I imagine that dealing with a moody teenager isn't high on your list of fun ways to spend your off-duty hours." Danny's hand slid to Kara's hip.

Kara shrugged. "The CIC training course has given me a crash course in dealing with teenagers. I can handle Chris. Although we'll be short a bedroom once your mother gets out of the hospital."

They lay there in silence until Danny shifted, his hand slipping under Kara's shirt. "You know, since we're already breaking Rachel's rules…."

Kara laughed as she pushed herself to a sitting position, slapping away his hand. "Try again buster. You may not mind Eddie seeing your bare ass but I certainly do."

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Eddie switched off the ignition as they pulled up in front of the house. Kara opened the door to the backseat to let Halsey out but Eddie stopped her before she could pick up Frankie. "I'll get her."

Unstrapping Tyler first, he grabbed Frankie's infant seat and swung both out of the jeep, following her towards the house. Debbie stood on the porch waiting.

"Kara!" Debbie's eyes were filled with tears as she enveloped Kara in a tight hug, letting go only when Kara winced.

"Sorry, Mom, just a little sore," she explained. Debbie's eyes widened.

"Of course! Commander Garnett said that you had a breast infection when she called. She said that you were not to leave bed for two days."

"Rachel just said to rest…" Kara protested but Debbie ignored her. "Up to bed! Peter is making dinner right now and I'll bring you up a plate in a minute."

Half smiling, half grimacing, Kara turned to Eddie, who had followed them into the house. "Thank you for driving us home."

"If Mrs. Foster doesn't mind, Tyler and I will stick around until Danny gets back. Especially if Mr. Walsh is cooking." Eddie winked at Debbie, who flushed.

"You are more than welcome to stay. Peter is making plenty. But where is Danny?"

Kara ignored the twinge of disapproval in her mother's voice. Given Debbie's painful track record in the boyfriend department, Kara had no intention of taking marital advice from the woman. "His mother is still in recovery. He was going to wait in case she woke up but he shouldn't be too long." Kara reached down to pick up Frankie, but her mother cut in.

"Nope. You need to rest. I will take care of Frankie and bring her upstairs if she needs to eat."

"Doctor Scott did say to rest," Eddie added.

Kara threw her hands up. "Okay, I know when I am outnumbered. I'll head upstairs but I _am_ taking a shower before I go to bed. I need one after today."

Kara had just finished her shower and was pulling on a pair of worn sweatpants and one of Danny's shirts when Debbie appeared, carrying a tray loaded down with some sort of stew.

"That smells delicious." Kara sat on the bed. "Are those dumplings? Mmmmmm. Tell Peter that I love him."

"He knows beef stew with dumplings is your favorite." Debbie smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Kara reached over, touching her mother's hand. "I'm fine, Mom. We were in a supply closet the entire time and really in no danger. The people you should be worried about are the civilian volunteers. Several of them were tied up and used as a human barrier. I imagine they are pretty shaken and I am worried about how this will impact people's willingness to volunteer at the processing center. We don't have the personnel to run the centers without them."

"I know." Debbie sighed. "The city council had an emergency meeting today to discuss the situation. What has people most rattled is how the men got the guns inside. Everyone we talked to agreed that the guards were frisking people as they entered – which makes it worse somehow. If this was a lapse in security, there would at least be an answer. Not knowing what happened means that it could happen again. And conspiracy theories are already making the rounds."

"Admiral Chandler is planning a full investigation," Kara noted as she took another spoonful of stew. She didn't add that Captain Chandler was fairly certain that the guns had been smuggled in with injured refugees. Upon questioning the guards had all admitted that they had given only cursory checks of those arriving on stretchers due to concerns about causing more harm to the sick and injured.

"Who will be handling the investigation?" Debbie's voice was strained and Kara looked at her mother curiously.

"Commander Slattery. Why?"

"It's just that….."

Kara leveled a look at her mother.

"I just…" Debbie stopped again.

"Mom, what is it?"

Debbie looked away. "I remember when you were a little girl and I would come home…"

"Sick?" Kara prompted.

"Drunk, I was drunk, Kara." Debbie said flatly. "I would disappear for days and come home drunk and you would make me take a shower and eat and get some sleep. You never asked me why I left. You never got angry. You took care of me, even as a child."

"You had a disease, Mom. I know that." Kara shifted uncomfortably. She and Debbie never talked about the past. It was an unspoken rule between them, a way of avoiding the uncomfortable issues that it brought up and, for Kara, a way of protecting herself against Debbie's inevitable slid back to the bottle.

"It doesn't matter why I wasn't around. What matters is that you had to take care of yourself. And you did. But you don't need to do that anymore, Kara. Even if Danny can't be here … I know that I haven't always been there for you but I want to make up for that. I want to be there for you. For you and Frankie. I want to prove to you that I am never going back to the person that I was before."

Setting aside the tray of food, Kara pulled her mother into her arms. And for the first time, she actually believed that this current run at sobriety would not turn out like all of Debbie's past attempts.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too."

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"What are you still doing here?"

Danny's eyes popped open at Leslie's voice. He realized that he must have dozed off in the waiting room. A quick glance showed that Chris was still in the chair across the way, the furthest he could get from Danny without leaving the room completely (which might have meant missing the nurse who was giving them periodic comments on Joanne's status).

"Waiting for news about my mother. Why? What time is it?"

"Almost midnight," Leslie replied. "I _heard_ Doctor Scott tell you to take your wife home hours ago. She – and the Admiral – won't be happy when I call to tell her that you disobeyed her orders."

Danny couldn't help but smile at Leslie's threat. "No need to bother Doctor Scott. I had Eddie Ward take Kara and Frankie home around eight."

"You sent your sick wife home alone?" Leslie clucked her tongue, her disapproval evident.

"Not you too," Danny groaned. "She wasn't going home alone. Her mother was coming over to watch the baby."

Leslie considered him for a minute. "Okay, since I like your wife I am going to give you a little bit of advice here."

"Yes, sir." Danny immediately regretted the flippant tone when Leslie narrowed her eyes at him. "Sorry. Rough day."

Leslie apparently accepted the excuse because she continued. "Mike – that's my grandson – used to try to get away with things by claiming that _everyone_ was doing it or _everyone_ said it was okay. And I always replied that he was free to follow _everyone_ off a cliff the day the turned eighteen but until then I was the only person who mattered. But what I didn't say to Mike, and probably should have, was that sometimes, every so often, when everyone is telling you the same thing, sometimes everyone is right."

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Twenty minutes later Danny and Chris pulled up in front of the house, careful not to block in Eddie or Peter. Caro had remained at the hospital for her regular shift, and Cruz had offered to stay with her, so there was really no reason for Danny and Chris to be there as well. Chris had been reluctant to leave, afraid that Joanne would wake up without them, but Caro had convinced him to get some sleep and come back in the morning.

"Where are we? I thought we were going to your apartment with Frankie."

Danny swallowed, the reminder of his apartment with Frankie causing a dull ache. Besides returning to gather some clothing and other essentials, he had not been back to the place since they left for the arctic. "Frankie's dead. We moved here after the baby was born. Caro has a room downstairs and Teylor stays here most nights but there is plenty of room for you and Mom as well."

Chris was silent until they reached the porch. "You have electricity?"

"Yes, we have a generator. Lieutenant Yates, who is charge of the base, has been working to get each home a generator for power. He also got the sewer and water system running so the toilets and shower work, although showers are restricted to five minutes."

They walked in to find Debbie, Peter and Eddie playing cards. Debbie was the first to react.

"Danny! We saved some dinner for you. And this must be your brother Chris. I'm Debbie, Kara's mother, and this is my boyfriend Peter. We were so happy to learn that you had made it here to Norfolk." As Debbie talked she bustled them both in the kitchen.

Eddie followed after them to give Chris a hug. "It's good to see you Chris."

"Where's Tyler?" Danny asked.

"Kara kept Frankie in your room for the night and let Tyler use the crib. You did a nice job building that. Any way I can talk you into making one for me?" Eddie asked, snagging a roll from the pile that Debbie had placed on the table.

"On my next day off," Danny replied.

Eddie snorted. "Forget it. He won't need a crib in five years."

"Where is Mrs. Ward?" Chris asked around the roll that he had stuffed in his mouth.

A pall fell over the group. "Amber didn't make it. The Red Flu."

Chris swallowed. "I'm sorry. Were you in Cornwall? Mom and I saw the graves."

"No, we were in Massachusetts with my in-laws. Once Amber got sick we headed south to Connecticut looking for a cure but it was too late. That's where I ran into your brother. The Nathan James made port in New London a couple weeks later. I went to Cornwall with Danny. I was there when we found Caroline and the others hiding from the Alliance."

"The Alliance?"

Danny kicked Eddie under the table. Chris didn't need to hear this. Eddie ignored him. "Wacko military group that poisoned half the town with arsenic – including my folks. Ask Caroline about the story. A couple kids your age survived though. We met up with them. What were their names, Danny?"

"Ryan Levy and Nick Sims. We left them in Norwalk."

Chris looked like he was going to puke. "Dad was _poisoned_?"

"No, he died of the Red Flu. He caught it at the school." Danny looked at Eddie. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Pulling his friend to the hall, he closed the door to the kitchen before hissing. "What are you doing?"

"You can't hide the truth from him, Danny. I know you still see him as the twelve years old who liked to prank us when we crashed at your house after a night out but he's not a kid anymore. Hiding things from him is going to backfire."

"Even if you are right, he doesn't need to deal with any more tonight."

"Fine." Eddie shrugged. They arrived back in the kitchen in time to hear Chris ask Peter and Debbie what they did in Norfolk.

Peter answered. "I own a restaurant downtown that we converted into a kind of community center. And Debbie and I both serve on the Norfolk City Council Committee for the Cure."

"What is that?" Chris asked.

Danny replied. "Norfolk is the hub for distribution of the vaccine for the Red Flu through the United States and abroad. The Norfolk City Council coordinates the teams that head inland. The Nathan James was distributing cure along the east coast until it made port two weeks ago. We have another ship, Solace, that is in Europe and we have a ship that will hopefully reach China any day."

"Any word on the Kidd?" Peter asked.

"Nothing but we were pretty distracted today. And, unfortunately, with Zaya unavailable the language barrier was a bigger problem than usual. My Mandarin sucks." Danny shook his head.

"I don't understand." Chris looked back and forth between Danny and Peter.

Eddie was the one who answered. "On our way to Norfolk a couple months ago we stumbled across a Chinese frigate. The crew was sick so we brought them the cure and helped them make it here to Norfolk. Somehow it resulted in Danny becoming the unofficial ambassador to China."

"You said that your job here was to train the new soldiers, like boot camp," Chris replied, staring at his brother.

"It is," Danny confirmed.

Eddie elaborated. "Well that might be his _official_ job but unofficially, in addition to playing diplomat, Danny also coordinates security for the teams that take the cure inland. That's why we need new soldiers. The more people that we have, the more teams that we can send out, and the more people that we save."

"Danny also works with the City Council on local security issues. Since we no longer have a police force, we rely on the base to provide security patrols in the residential areas," Peter added. "Your brother has been a huge asset to Norfolk. We're lucky to have him."

Chris briefly met Danny's eyes before focusing on the food before him.

"This is delicious, Mrs. Foster," Chris said quietly as he scarfed down the soup. Debbie laughed.

"I wish I could take credit but Peter here is the chef. My cooking skills are about on par with your brother. Which means that without Peter and Kara we would all be eating a lot more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."


	37. Chapter 37

_Thank you all for the reviews and thoughtful comments! I hope you are all enjoying seeing Danny finally being with his family! (Yes, it took 36ish chapters to get there.) I have to give a shout out to Kamilad for her input regarding Christopher._

 _Lots of BTS pictures of TLS being released - including that great one of Marissa and Travis! Yeah! Also, did everyone see the adorable picture of Marissa and Christina on IG? I love that they are RL friends as well as TLS roomies._

CHAPTER 37

"I seem to distinctly recall the Admiral telling you to take the day off." Tex took a sip of his coffee, leaning back in the chair, feet on the desk. Slattery was going to kill the man when he saw how much at home Tex had made himself in the XO's temporary office. "Anders was bitching about having to cover your training schedule."

"I came to see my mother and thought I would check in," Danny explained. "Where are Burk and Wolf? I figured Commander Slattery would have them cover for me."

He knew where Cruz was, having run into him this morning when Teylor brought Caro home from the hospital, along with the news that Joanne had yet to regain consciousness. Chris had immediately insisted on going to see his mother, troubled by the idea that Joanne might wake up alone in a strange room. Originally Danny had planned to stay with the two of them but during the ride to the hospital Christopher had maintained a tense silence, despite Danny's best efforts to engage his brother, and Danny had decided they could both use a little space. After giving the guards on duty at the hospital directions on how to find him if there was any change in Joanne's condition, Danny had gone to check in with the Captain or XO but, other than Tex and Leslie, headquarters appeared empty.

"Slattery has them assisting with the prisoner interrogation. Something about good cop, bad cop," Tex replied.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "And he didn't ask you to help?"

Tex shrugged. "Apparently I am too mean to play the good cop and too funny to play the bad cop. Besides, someone has to stay here and hold down the fort. I did offer to help Anders but he said no. Might of been more of a 'hell no.' I think he disapproves of me."

"Anders just has a different way of doing things. He's a decent guy." Danny was well aware that Anders did not view Tex's tendency to bend rules favorably.

"You mean he's kind of a tight ass. Reminds me of someone else when I first met him," Tex retorted, chuckling. "Glad you and Kara worked things out. Just the thought of having to bunk with an Anders' clone for the past year gives me the shudders."

Danny rolled his eyes. Anders wasn't _that_ bad. "I passed Doctor Scott at the hospital. I was surprised that Captain Chandler wasn't with her, given yesterday's events. I did notice that he had O'Connor _and_ Miller trailing her."

"Our heroic leader is stuck in a meeting with the Chinese government. The good news is that the Kidd arrived – finally. There was some storm damage but the laboratory was intact. The bad news is that the Kidd's Captain rubbed some high-and-mighty official the wrong way and the man got pissed that we weren't around to listen to him complain. The idiot actually said, and I quote, that a 'hostage situation is not a valid excuse.' Apparently the Commodore didn't think you would play nicely after that last comment so he called the Master Chief instead."

Danny had to give the Captain credit for knowing his people's limits. Danny would have been less than impressed if he were called in today to deal with political drama and if that last comment had been directed at him, well, Zaya would have had to do a lot of improvisation in his translation in order to avoid destroying diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China before they were even formally restored. Calling in the Master Chief was a stroke of genius. If there was anyone who could smooth over ruffled feathers, on both sides, it was Russell Jeter. "I swear that I have not heard so much whining since I was in preschool."

"A politician you are not," Tex murmured.

"Any updates on what happened yesterday?" Danny queried, getting to the reason he was here to begin with. As much as he wanted to head over to the cell blocks housing the prisoners to get the information directly from Burk or Slattery, he knew that he needed to keep his distance. Those men had put his wife and his baby in danger and Danny was still far too on edge to react to anything they said calmly or rationally.

"Everything points to them trying to get to the hospital. After we cleared the processing center last night we found six more patients with bullet wounds. Half of them are talking and they all identified the same man as the one who shot them. The tall guy that _Admiral_ Slattery was chatting with. One of the guys knew him – said he called himself Hansen and that he was from upstate New York. Oh, and some of the hospital staff clearly identified Hansen as having brought in a patient on a stretcher. One nurse was pretty sure he told her that he was a doctor." Tex pursed his lips. "For me, the question is why. If they were really going after the Doc, why the hell didn't they just grab her and run? She was at the center for hours before they made a move."

"Maybe they didn't know what she looked like?" Danny offered half-heartedly.

"Uh huh. Because kidnappers never ask for a picture of their target in advance. And it's not like that would be hard to come by. The Doc's face has been plastered all over those videos going around about the cure for months." Tex shook his head. "Nope, something about this just doesn't sit right with me. I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Pretty sure the Captain feels the same way given that the Doc now has two personal guards."

"Slattery will get to the bottom of it," Danny replied confidently. Given the possible threat to Rachel, Danny knew that nobody on the Nathan James would relax until they found out who was behind this threat – whether it was the Immunes, the Alliance or someone else entirely. Although Danny was a tiny bit relieved to know that Kara and Frankie were at home and well away from any potential danger, at least for now, just in case Tex was right. "Looks like the shooting on the north road was connected, so we aren't looking at two different crimes."

"One bit of good news, I suppose. How is Kara doing today?" Tex paused, before adding. "She looked pretty _green_ last night."

"She says that she is fine. Of course, she didn't bother asking for antibiotics until she was practically septic so I'm not inclined to believe her," Danny replied grimly. As much as he knew how tough Kara was, how capable she was of taking care of herself, he couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated that she had kept him in the dark yesterday about how sick she was. Sometimes it would be nice if Kara leaned on him a little. "She did promise to take it easy until I got home and Ava came over to watch Frankie for a few hours."

Tex gave him a measured look. "Let me see if I have this right. Your wife is home sick. Your mother is at the hospital. And you are here talking to me … why again?"

Danny sighed. "I drove my brother here. I can't leave him here."

"Ah. And how are things going with the long lost brother? A little mouse told me that the happy reunion was less than happy."

Danny didn't bother to ask Tex how he knew about Chris's blowup from the day before. Not only was the man damn observant but Danny had seen Tex chatting up Leslie on more than one occasion and, since Leslie knew everything about everyone, that made Tex a fount of information. "The news that I was married and had baby did not go over well. I am pretty sure he thinks that I replaced him with Kara and Frankie, that I don't care about him now that I have them. Kara thinks it will blow over but I don't know. I have never seen him like this."

Tex was silent for a few moments. "Relationships with teenagers are hard."

"You and Kat seem to be doing alright," Danny offered. Tex rarely mentioned his life prior to Gitmo, and he had never talked about what caused the rift between himself and his ex-wife and his daughter, but Danny knew from casual comments that, prior to their reunion in Memphis, Tex had not seen Kat in over two years.

"I got lucky," Tex said finally. "Kat was willing to give me a second chance – one that I didn't deserve – and I am not going to screw it up this time. Kat is an incredible girl. Crazy to think that half of her DNA came from me."

"She's a good kid. She managed to impress Commander Garnett and that is not easy." Danny waited, uncertain whether Tex would say more.

"The credit for that goes to her mother," Tex replied. "Kat and my problems started a long time before the virus. When Claire and I split Kat was still a little thing. At first I would see her every couple of weeks but then I started taking overseas jobs. I'd be gone for three or six months and then it turned into a year. Claire found someone new and she had a good life with Kat. I figured that they didn't need me coming around and mucking things up, so I stopped going to visit at all. I had my life and they had theirs. I thought maybe when Kat was grown up we could…. Hell, I don't know what I was thinking. I certainly never thought about something like this virus happening."

It was a story that Danny had heard too often. The story told by men who were gone from home so much that "home" became nothing more than a place to stay between deployments, men who were alienated from their families, their only lasting relationships the ones with the members of their teams. It was one of the reasons that Danny had broken things off with Rebecca (something that seemed so long ago now), knowing that she could never accept the life that he led, knowing that their relationship would eventually crumble under the constant separation. But he had never considered the impact of his absences on his parents, on his siblings. He had taken those relationships for granted, assuming that nothing could ever drive a wedge between them. Even in the midst of his break-up with Rebecca and his fight with Caro, Danny had never doubted that he and Caro would eventually work things out. Because they were family and family stuck together no matter what. Now, for the first time, Danny was questioning that core belief. "I barely know him anymore. He's not the same kid I left in Connecticut eighteen months ago."

"No, he's not. And you aren't the same man. But you and your brother, Danny-boy? That's a whole different ball of wax than me and Kat. All of those inside jokes that you and your sister have, all of the stories you tell about doing things as a family? Your family was tight before the virus hit. Those bonds aren't easy to break. I'm going with Kara on this one. Your brother might feel a little displaced right now, he might even stay mad at you for a while, but eventually he'll figure out that he is damn lucky to have you around, no matter whether you found him or he found you. The only thing that you have to do is stick around until he is ready. That was my mistake. I left. And I still regret that every day."

Danny struggled to find a way to tell Tex how much those words meant. "You know that eventually people are going to realize that you really are just a big softie."

"Eh, I can still play bad cop if I need to." Tex stood, heading out the door. "But enough of this disobeying orders. I'll have Leslie track Johnson down and put him on babysitting duty until your brother is ready to go home. You are officially kicked off base."

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Kara sat by the window of the hospital room, her legs propped on a small stool, Frankie in her lap. She smiled down at the infant as she jiggled a plush seal. "Are you a mommy's girl? Or are you a Daddy's girl?"

Frankie squealed as the small white animal danced over her head. Despite Danny's resistance to any type of plush toy since the Sorenson/teddy bear incident, Frankie had acquired quite a collection in her short time on the planet. Uncle Tex was responsible for the vast majority, but Burk and Cruz had been known to appear with what they claimed was a particularly cute addition and Wolf had shown up on two occasions with a koala bear, which he had insisted was completely different than a teddy bear.

The room was quiet, the silence broken only by Frankie's gurgling and the occasional squeak of an equipment tray being wheeled past the door. Joanne had been unconscious since her surgery three days ago. Although Rachel believed that the surgery to remove the bullet in Joanne's leg and replace her shattered kneecap had been a success, the fact that Joanne remained comatose was troubling. Rachel had ordered a CT scan performed yesterday to check for any hidden brain trauma and the failure to find any abnormalities had been both relieving and frustrating, since the cause for Joanne's condition remained unclear.

Over the past two days Danny, Caro, Chris and Cruz had taken turns sitting by Joanne's bedside. Today, however, Kara was finally off house arrest and she had offered to spend the afternoon at the hospital while Danny spent time with Chris and Caro got some much needed sleep. Kara had hoped that Danny spending some one-on-one time with his brother might help ease the tension between the two, but if the conversation at breakfast this morning had been any indication, a truce was not on the horizon.

 _Danny turned to Chris. "Any interest in joining me for PT this afternoon? It might be nice to spend some time outside."_

 _Chris shrugged. "I'd rather stay with Mom."_

" _You've spent the last two days at the hospital. You need a break. There are some guys your age in the training group. You might make some friends."_

" _I doubt that. They'll either be scared of you or want to talk about how great you are. Just like Zack."_

" _Who? Oh, Johnson."_

 _Chris rolled his eyes. "You don't know the guy's name? He practically worships you."_

 _Kara decided it was time to intervene. "Why don't you spend the morning with your mother, Chris, and I will come by and sit with Joanne for the afternoon so you can go with Danny."_

 _Danny didn't give Chris a chance to protest. "Great, I'll pick you up at 1300, Chris."_

" _Oh, and don't forget that Doctor Scott asked you to stop by her office once you arrive. She wants to check to see if you have the gene for immunity, like Danny and Caro do," Kara added._

" _I got it." Chris jammed the remainder of his breakfast into his mouth before dumping his dishes in the sink and headed for the front door. A minute later Danny did the same, although he took the time to wash off both plates so Kara wouldn't need to._

 _Kara trailed him to the door. "I'll ask Jed if he can drive me to the base around noon. I might as well see Rachel while I am there. Check when I can get back to work."_

" _I'll pick you up."_

" _Danny," Kara protested. "I am perfectly capable of getting myself to the hospital."_

 _Danny looped his arms around her waist, smiling down at her charmingly. "Humor me?"_

 _Kara poked at his chest. "Argh. You know I can't resist that smile. All right, I will see you at noon."_

And, sure enough, Danny had appeared exactly at noon to accompany Kara to the hospital. Rachel had grumbled when they first arrived but had reluctantly agreed that sitting in Joanne's room at the hospital was really no different than sitting on the couch at home. Rachel had not, however, given Kara clearance to return to work, insisting that she needed a few more days to recover.

Hearing rustling from the direction of the bed, Kara looked up and, to her surprise, Joanne's eyes were open. Gathering Frankie up, Kara crossed to the bedside. "Mrs. Green? Joanne? How are you feeling?"

Her brow furrowing, Joanne looked at Frankie and then Kara and then Frankie again. "Where am I? And who are you?"

Kara winced at the question, remembering how badly this had gone with Chris, and settled for the simple answer. "I'm Kara and this is Frankie. You are at the hospital in Norfolk. You were shot and needed surgery. You've been unconscious for days. If you wait a minute, I will ask the nurse to find your family."

Kara turned towards the door, but stopped when Joanne grabbed her arm. "My family? Who is here?"

Kara smiled, being the bearer of glad tidings was not such a bad job. "Danny, Caro and Chris are here."

"All of them? That seems impossible." Tears slid down Joanne's face. "And Mark? My husband?"

"I'm sorry. He didn't make it." Kara reached out to grasp Joanne's hand.

Joanne swallowed, squeezing Kara's hand tightly. "But you said my children are here. And they are okay?"

"Yes. They are. Let me tell someone that you are awake. I will be right back." Stepping into the hallway, it took Kara only a minute to find Miller and ask him to updated Danny and Cruz. Returning to the door to the room, Kara hesitated. "They should be here shortly. Would you like me to stay?"

"Yes, please."

Joanne reached out to brush a finger over Frankie's hand, smiling when the little girl batted at her knuckles in response. "You have a beautiful child. How old is she?"

"A little over two months," Kara replied.

"Frankie is an usual name for a little girl."

Kara looked away for a moment before returning Joanne's gaze. Joanne most likely knew Frankie – probably Berchem and Smith too. "She was named after a friend who died. Frankie Benz."

"He was a good man. The virus?"

Kara bit her lip. No matter how many times she told the story, this never got any easier. "Frankie sacrificed himself. He was exposed and didn't want to infect the crew."

This time it was Joanne who looked away, taking a deep shuddering breath, before her gaze returned to Frankie. Glancing down, Kara could see that the little girl was busy stuffing her fingers in her mouth. For some reason she had decided that her thumb was not sufficient, and preferred to suck on her middle finger and ring finger. Joanne chuckled.

"My son used to do that as a baby too."


	38. Chapter 38

_Thank you again to everyone that has followed and favorited this story and especially everyone that leaves a review! I still need to respond to reviews from the last chapter but it took so long to get this chapter finished that I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. This is my busy time at work but I will try not to let it go so long again before I update, especially since we are so close to the end of this story._

 _Hope you all enjoy!_

CHAPTER 38

"How long until she wakes up again?" Danny asked Rachel quietly, pretending not to notice the dark looks that Chris was sending in his direction.

Rachel set a hand on Danny's arm. "There is no way to know when Mrs. Green will wake up again. It could be later today or even tomorrow. This is very typical, Danny. Your mother has been through a major trauma. She is going to need time to recover. And I means weeks, not days."

"I know that you are doing everything that you can, Rachel."

As Rachel turned to leave the room, she was almost run over by Caro as she barreled into the room, Cruz on her heels. "Mom's awake?"

"She is sleeping now but she was awake for about ten minutes," Rachel explained. "Mrs. Green was coherent and seemed aware of her surroundings."

Caro sagged against Cruz, who had an arm around her shoulders, and Danny noticed that her eyes were puffy. "That's great news. Thank you, Doctor Scott."

"Please call me Rachel. I'll be back in a little while to check in."

Caro headed towards the bed, sitting in the chair across from Chris, who had not moved from his position by Joanne's beside since he and Danny arrived an hour ago. "Were you here when she woke up?"

"Nope. Danny said I needed a _break_. So she woke up to a _stranger_."

"Kara is part of this family too," Danny replied flatly.

"Not to Mom," Chris snapped.

Caro gave Danny a sympathetic look, shaking her head slightly in a manner that he had seen far too often in the past few days, one that told him not to push the issue. "Where is Kara?"

"She needed to feed Frankie and then she was going to the cafeteria to pick up food."

Danny didn't mention that he had suggested that Kara leave for a while. Things with Chris had gone from bad to worse today, and he didn't want Kara caught in the cross-fire. For a brief period this afternoon, Danny had actually thought he was getting through to his brother. But any progress had been shattered as soon as Chris learned that he had missed Joanne waking up.

" _Green! Come join us!" Johnson shouted across the field from where the trainees were currently doing sprints. After shooting an uncertain look at Danny, Chris jogged across the field towards the others._

 _Danny headed towards Burk, who had supervised the morning training session._

" _How's Kara?"_

" _Annoyed that Rachel won't let her get back to work," Danny replied. "And blatantly flaunting Rachel's orders to stay in bed and rest."_

" _You couldn't think of a way to keep Kara in bed?" Burk cocked an eyebrow at Danny._

 _Danny snorted. "Did you miss the 'rest' part of Rachel's directions? And anything that pisses of Rachel…"_

" _Pisses off the Captain."_

" _Exactly. I don't need to be stuck on overnight patrol for the next year." Danny watched as Johnson led the trainees through another set of exercises. The man had blossomed in the past few months and there was really no longer any need for either Danny or Burk to supervise the PT sessions. Assuming that the training program continued, Danny intended to recommend that Johnson become a permanent instructor. "Anything new from the prisoners?"_

" _Morse is talking a lot but he's a total nutjob. Even Commander Slattery isn't sure what to make of the man."_

 _Of the three surviving shooters from the processing center, one was still in the hospital and one had provided only minimal information, leaving Morse as the best source of information. Unfortunately, Burk's assessment of Morse's mental state seemed to be accurate. Danny hadn't met Morse in person, but he had watched the recording of one of the interview sessions. Slattery had barely been able to get a word in as Morse ranted about the sins of the military, accusing them of stealing food and medicine from survivors, spreading the Red Flu, lying about the cure, and even burning bodies for fuel, before breaking down in tears, insisting that innocent people would die if he wasn't released. While the man clearly had a screw loose, his accusations were, unfortunately, too close to reality. Everything that Morse accused the Navy of doing had occurred. The man had simply picked the wrong group to blame for the atrocious._

" _Did Val have any insight?" Danny asked, referring to their resident conspiracy expert. Since it became apparent that Alisha and Val had a thing for each other, he had been making an effort to get to know the woman, but he still did not understand how someone so smart could fall for the Ramsey brothers' lies._

" _Not really. She thinks he was probably a normal guy before the virus hit and something happened to make him crack. We've seen that before. The only weird part is that the other guys going along with him without realizing he's nuts. But it's not the first time we've seen that either."_

 _Danny knew from Burk's tone that he was thinking about Ravit, about how she might still be alive if people had taken a moment to question the Ramseys. If Val had not been so blinded by her preconceived notions of the military. If the people of New Orleans had not been so quick to place the blame for the destruction of the armada on the Nathan James. If so many people had not been willing to believe the Ramseys' message to begin with. Danny gave Burk a moment before he spoke again. "They were from upstate New York, right?"_

" _Yeah, small town called Hoosik Falls," Burk replied._

" _That's a little out of the way for the Alliance but the Immunes might have gone through spreading the virus and their publicity campaign," Danny said, thinking out loud._

" _Could be." Burk shrugged. "Anders left this morning with a team to check out the area. Look for survivors. Like I said, Morse is cracked so there may not be anyone there but..."_

" _He could be telling the truth." Danny finished Burks's sentence. No matter what Morse and his group had done, no matter how crazy he sounded, they all knew that Admiral Chandler would not take the risk of leaving innocent people without food and medical supplies, especially in the middle of winter._

 _Danny watched as Johnson trotted across the field towards them. As the young man updated him on the group's progress, Danny noticed that Johnson was acting oddly. Very oddly. Much like Miller did when was feeling guilty. "You want to tell me why you are hopping around like there are nails in your shoes, Johnson?"_

" _It's nothing, sir." Johnson's voice was a squeak._

 _Burk winked at Danny before crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you refusing to answer a question from an officer, ensign?"_

" _No, of course not. Your brother was just telling us a few stories, Lieutenant Green, and…"_

 _Glancing across the field, Danny considered his brother. He should have realized that he would be an obvious topic of conversation. He wondered what Chris had said to render Johnson practically speechless. Being ten years younger, Chris didn't have the same amount of dirt on Danny that Caro did, which limited the possible options. Danny frowned as an obvious reason for Johnson's reaction came to him. So far Chris had been reasonably polite to Kara, saving his impertinence for Danny (and sometimes Caro). He hoped that his brother knew without being told that any story involving Kara – or Frankie – was off limits. "You going to tell us or do I need to call Chris over here?"_

 _Johnson turned beet red. "Did you and Lieutenant Benz really go to Shippers dressed like hookers to crash a women's only night?"_

 _The words were barely out of Johnson's mouth before Burk was doubled over laughing. Biting his cheek, Danny managed to keep a straight face. "We did. And let me tell you, I have never been so glad to kick my shoes off. High heels hurt."_

"Chris?" Joanne's voice was hoarse.

"Mom?" Chris leaned over the bed, his voice cracking.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Chris's face crumbled. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there. I was only gone for a few minutes and you were gone. I looked everywhere. I swear. I couldn't find you."

Danny's chest tightened as the reason for Chris's erratic behavior over the past few days became clear. Chris blamed himself for what happened to Joanne. Blamed himself for her being hurt, being shot, and then being held as a hostage. It was ridiculous, of course. There was no way Chris could have stopped what happened. If he had been at the camp he would have been shot too, maybe even killed. But Danny knew that Chris's feelings of guilt weren't logic. He knew because that was how he felt anytime Kara and Frankie were in danger.

Joanne raised an arm to pull her youngest son close. "You stop that right this instant. None of this was your fault. Do you hear me? None of it. You didn't do anything wrong."

Danny moved forward to squat by the bed, his hand on Chris's shoulder. "You did find her, Chris. And you saved her. If you hadn't been there, Kara and Zaya would never have found Mom. We wouldn't have gotten her out of the processing center when we did. She might not be here right now."

As Danny spoke, Joanne's eyes met his, before looking across the bed at Caroline. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "You really are all here."

"We're here, Mom," Caro answered.

"I didn't believe that this would ever happen. That I would see all of you again." Joanne's bow creased as though she was puzzled. Her eyes suddenly fixed on Cruz, who had stepped back against the wall, removing himself from the circle. "I recognize you…."

Caro straightened abruptly. "Mom, this is Teylor Cruz. He's a friend. He and Danny worked together down at Lejeune."

"Your _friend_?" Danny didn't mean to laugh, but and once he started, he couldn't seem to stop. The look on Cruz's face was indescribable. When Danny finally caught his breath, they were all staring at him. Well, all except Caro, who was giving him the evil eye.

"Caroline, based on your brother's reaction, I am going to assume that you and Teylor are rather good friends?" Joanne said, breaking the silence, her voice sounding far firmer than it had a moment before.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Green," Cruz stepped forward when it became apparent that Caro was not going to respond to Joanne's question. "I'll give you some time alone with your family now."

"Teylor." Caro grabbed his arm, her voice contrite. "I didn't mean…"

"We're all good, babe. Inside joke. I'll tell you about it later." Cruz pressed a kiss to Caro's forehead before turning to Danny. "I'll go find Kara."

That was enough to have Joanne's attention swing from Caro to Danny. "It wasn't a dream then?"

"What wasn't?" Danny looked at Caro, who shrugged, apparently not understanding the question either.

"Earlier. A woman was here with a baby. Kara and Frankie. I thought that I imagined it." Joanne started shaking.

"Should I get a doctor?" Danny asked, already halfway to the door.

"No, no," Joanne gasped. "Come here."

Danny leaned over his mother. "Are you sure you are okay?"

Joanne grasped his hand, smiling through the tears. "I'm fine, Danny. It's just not every day that a woman learns that she is a grandmother."

"What? How did you know?" Danny choked out.

"A mother always know." Joanne paused before continuing, her voice adopting the no-nonsense tone she used with her patients. "I also had a few clues – like Frankie's name and the fact that she was sucking on her fingers, just like you used to do. Oh, and there's the wedding ring that you are wearing. The design matches the one that Kara had on."

Danny looked down at his ring, shocked that Joanne had noticed such a detail. The rings, like Kara's engagement ring, had originally belonged to her parents and were a matched set, each contained a small pattern etched in the metal.

"No getting anything by Mom," Caro joked.

"Apparently not." Danny leaned against the wall near the door. "Well, since you already know everything I guess you don't need me to fill you in…"

Joanne fixed him with her eyes. "You, Daniel Joshua Green, will start at the beginning and tell me everything that I have missed over the past year, including how you ended up with a wife and daughter. And when he is done," Joanne's attention swung back to her daughter, "it will be your turn to tell me exactly what is going on with Teylor Cruz."

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Danny settled in the chair that Caro had just vacated. Caro's hospital shift was starting in fifteen minutes and, despite some reluctance to leave Kara and Frankie, Danny had agreed to stay at the hospital overnight with his mother. He grinned as he took a sip of his coffee. Apparently Danny had not been the only ones concerned about Kara and Frankie being alone for the night. Cruz's presence at the house was anticipated, since he lived there, but Burk, Wolf and Tex had no such excuse, especially since the team was leaving first thing tomorrow to replace Norfolk's badly depleted stock of insulin and heart medication and they should have all been asleep by 2100. After knocking on the door, Tex had claimed, completely straight-faced, that Miller's snoring was so deafening that the only way for any of them to get some sleep would be to stay at the house for the night. Fortunately, Kara had not called them out on their ridiculous excuse and had simply brought out the extra pillows and blankets to make up beds in the living room.

Danny stretched out as much as he could in the chair, wondering if Joanne would wake up again tonight. Her second period of wakefulness had lasted more than twenty minutes but the time had gone too quickly and they had only been able to fill Joanne in on the most basic information about what had happened over the past year. Danny hadn't even been able to properly introduce her to Kara and Frankie, as she was already back to sleep when they returned. The next time Joanne woke, Captain Chandler had asked Danny to speak to her about the shooting on the off-chance that she would be able to provide additional information about the shooters.

Danny wasn't sure how long he had been dozing when he realized that Joanne was awake. "Mom?"

"Danny?" Her voice cracked.

"Here, drink this." Danny held out the cup of water. "Do you remember where you are?"

"Of course I do," Joanne replied brusquely. "I'm at the hospital in Norfolk. And what are you doing here? It's the middle of the night. You should be at home with your wife and baby sleeping."

"Kara kicked me out. Said I was snoring," Danny joked.

That got a laugh. "Why are you really here?"

"I wanted to ask you the morning when you were shot." Danny considered how much to tell Joanne. "There has been a lot going on here in the past couple of days and we are trying to figure it all out. You might remember something that could help us."

"Okay." Joanne stayed silent for a few seconds. "We were on the road north of here. I hadn't wanted to stop the night before. I was hoping to make it all the way to Norfolk but the guides said that we wouldn't be allowed on base to look for you until morning. So we stayed at the camp. We were up early and Gideon came by to get me. He said that some of his people were sick and asked if I could help."

"What does Gideon look like?"

"He's tall, angular face, red hair, mustache, in his mid 50's. Lots of ear hair." Joanne smiled at a joke only she knew.

Gideon sounded like Hansen. "Do you know his full name?"

"Oh, let me think. His last name was Nordic. Maybe Olsen?"

"What happened after Gideon came by?"

"I grabbed my bag and mask. From what Gideon said, it sounded like people might have the Red Flu and I didn't want to expose Chris. At the shelter we were told that the cure was contagious and that we didn't have to worry about getting sick anymore, but I was a little skeptical." Joanne frowned. "Is it true?"

"It's true. But it wouldn't matter for you and Chris anyway. We're all immune to the virus. You, me, Caro, Chris. Even Frankie. The doctors here are going crazy over the results. Apparently having an extended family unit with the gene for immunity is a researcher's dream."

"Immune?" Joanne's eyes widened. "I guess that does explain a few things. I had a few close calls while we were in Vermont but thought I was just lucky. It must be genetic then?"

"At least partially," Danny replied before shrugging. "You'll have to ask Caro for the details. We found out when Doctor Scott tested Frankie's blood after she was born."

"Doctor Scott – that's the woman with a British accent?"

Danny couldn't help but chuckle at that description. "Yes, but she's also the doctor that developed the cure to the virus and saved Kara and Frankie. She sewed Cruz up one time after he was shot and almost bled out. She's an amazing woman."

"High praise coming from you. I look forward to getting to know her."

"But back to the morning you were shot. What happened after you got your bag?"

Joanne hesitated and Danny suspected that the memories were becoming hazy. "Charlie Morse had come with Gideon. I asked him to stay and let Chris know where I was going. I remember being concerned about him. It was barely 5 a.m. and he seemed very agitated. He had lost his family in the early days and it weighed heavily on him. Plus he was a bit of a conspiracy buff. He was convinced that the Navy was killing people and burning their bodies to power the city here in Norfolk. He had gotten Gideon riled up as well, which was more unusual."

Danny sat up straighter. "What made Morse think we were burning bodies?"

"Well, we'd all heard the rumors when we were in New York," Joanne explained. "Not that I believed them, of course. As if anything so horrible could actually have happened here – killing people for power. But when we got close to Norfolk we could see that there was electricity and that seemed to set Charlie off."

"Unfortunately, there was something of that nature going on in Baltimore," Danny admitted. "But the Navy wasn't involved. We were the ones that shut it down. And, for the record, we're running the lights on emergency generators while we try to find a more permanent solution."

"Those poor people." Joanne's eyes drifted shut and Danny thought she might be falling back asleep until she jerked. "It was Gideon."

"What was?"

"He shot me. Gideon did. I had gone over to the patient he mentioned, but the man had already died. I was looking for identification when Gideon shot me."

"Do you know where Gideon was from?"

"A small town in northern New York. I don't recall the name. He was with a small group of men we met at the shelter in New York. They were hunting for supplies to take back to their families. When the guides arrived, Gideon originally refused to go south but changed his mind once he heard that there was a working hospital here. His father needed a rather specific medication for a heart issue and Norfolk must have seemed like a good place to find it. From what I heard from our guides, Norfolk is the largest city operating on East Coast. Is that true?"

"Yes." Danny considered what Joanne had just revealed. This was sounding more and more like a case of mistrust ending in tragedy, just like it had in New Orleans. If what Joanne was saying was correct, the incident at the processing facility might just be the reflection of some desperate men trying to feed their families combined with a conspiracy theorist and some misinformation about Baltimore.

"What else did Gideon do?" Joanne asked, her voice resigned.

"He took a number of people hostage," Danny explained, keeping the story vague. "He didn't survive the incident but Morse and two other men did. We're trying to figure out how much of their story is true."

"Morse was a principal before all of this went down. Like your father. He made me think of Mark a little bit. Not the being crazy part, of course, but the way he would talk to Chris at times. It was awful, you know, all those months in Vermont. Wondering about all of you. And then finding Mark's grave. If I didn't have Chris, well, I might have snapped too."

A lump formed in Danny's throat. His parents had been together since high school. They had been each other's first and only loves. They had raised three children together. He had never imagined one without the other and, even knowing that his father was dead, Danny still half expected him to walk through the door. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there."

"Like I told your brother earlier, none of this is your fault Danny. And I don't want to hear either of you blaming yourselves – or each other – for any of it."


	39. Chapter 39

_Thank you all for the reviews! I know that I haven't been updating as frequently – just a busy time at work – but I promise not to disappear._

 _As much as I have loved writing this story, it is wrapping up. I'll be updating my other story and have thinking about new stories, though. So if anyone has requests/ideas/suggestions feel free to toss them my way. I can't promise that I will take them but I love the interactive nature of FF._

 _That is a beautiful scene in Episode 1.04, Guest, not just the emotion between Kara and Danny but also how Tex picks up on it. (In case you can't tell by how much I use him in the story, I really like Tex.) I will give it some thought and see if I could expand it a little._

CHAPTER 39

Kara woke to the loud creak outside her room, instinct having her reaching for her pistol before conscious thought interceded and she realized that it was Danny pushing the door open, boots in hand.

"Sorry. I keep forgetting to fix that board," he mumbled as he set down his boots and began undressing. He glanced around the room. "Where's Frankie?"

Kara scooted to the side of the bed so that Danny could crawl in. "Her crib. What time is it?"

"0430. Guys are just getting up. I told Cruz to take Halsey. He needs a little exercise and they are down a man since Miller is on doctor-duty."

Kara jumped as Danny's ice-cold nose made contact with the back of her neck. "You're freezing."

Danny yanked the blankets around them. "Yeah, it's cold out. It snowed."

"You should have stayed at the hospital," Kara scolded halfheartedly. She had gotten used to him being home at night and she had struggled to fall asleep. The house felt strangely empty without him, even though there had been six other people here. "How's your mom?"

"Feisty. She sent me home." Danny already sounded half asleep. "Told me to bring you and Frankie by tomorrow so I could make a proper introduction."

Within minutes Danny's breath had slowed and Kara knew that he was asleep but she couldn't stop her mind from racing. After twenty minutes of tossing, Kara crawled out of bed, moving carefully so as not to wake Danny. Grabbing an afghan to ward off the chill, she settled in the chair by the window, watching as Burk, Cruz, Wolf and Tex loaded up their SUV and headed out, taking Halsey with them. For all of their sake, Kara hoped that this would be a quick trip and they would make it back to Norfolk tonight. Even with their heavy winter gear being out in freezing temperatures overnight was never fun.

Nibbling on her thumbnail, Kara considered the source of her insomnia. It was funny really. She had never gotten nervous about the idea of meeting Danny's family. Not the way she would have before the virus, anyway. Kara could still recall how tense she had been for days before meeting her last boyfriend's parents, changing her outfit multiple times and quizzing him the entire way to dinner about what to say (and not say) to his family. Everything has been different with Danny. Up in the Arctic, they had been cut off from the outside world and the thought of Danny's family had been too far in the future to seriously contemplate. Then, once the virus hit, the focus had turned from _when_ she would meet his family to _if_ she would meet them. When Kara met Caroline in the hospital room in New London, she had been too exhausted (from having a baby), overjoyed (from having a baby), and relieved (the Caroline was alive) to spend any energy worrying about whether Caro would like her.

Chris, though, had obviously reacted poorly to the news that Danny had a family and now Kara couldn't stop wondering how Joanne would react now that she knew who Kara –and Frankie – were. Not that Kara thought Joanne Green would lash out the way that Chris had. Based on what Kara knew about Joanne Green, she could not see the woman being outwardly rude. But Kara wanted more than an outwardly polite relationship with her mother-in-law. She wanted the woman to like her. She wanted them all to be a family. And if what she had overheard last night was true, that might not be so easy.

Kara had been upstairs in the nursery, rocking Frankie, only half listening to the guys' conversation in the living room. It had started with Danny giving Cruz a hard time about being introduced to Joanne as a friend. Kara couldn't help but smile at that. Cruz still jokingly referred to Danny as "Kara's friend" from time to time and Caro had given Danny a perfect way to return the favor.

" _Friend seems like a pretty accurate description to me," Burk was saying. "A friend with benefits."_

" _Please keep in mind that we're talking about my sister," Danny inserted, although nobody seemed to be listening._

" _Sounds like you've been demoted lover-boy. So when are you moving back to base?" Tex asked._

" _I'd say you are beyond the 'benefits' stage the second she introduced you to her mother, no matter how she went about it," Wolf inserted, the voice of reason._

" _Actually you're the first guy that Caro has introduced to Mom in years," Danny noted._

" _First guy in years?" Tex whistled. "Either that girl is gun shy or your mom is a ballbuster, Danny."_

" _Oh, she's a ball buster."_

" _I've met your mother before. She brought cookies. Hardly a ball-buster." Cruz sounded amused._

" _You weren't dating her daughter before," Danny retorted. "She has higher standards for her potential son-in-laws. Who was the last guy Caro brought home? Oh, Anwar. Mom referred to him as the moocher for years. And she reduced the guy before that to tears quizzing him on biochemistry after he made the mistake of telling her that he was pre-med."_

" _It could be worse. At least I didn't knock her daughter up before meeting her," Cruz retorted. "How did that conversation go again? Hey Mrs. Foster nice to meet you. I know that you have never heard my name before but, say, how do you feel about grandkids?"_

" _He shoots, he scores!" Tex cackled._

Kara knew that the jab was directed at Danny and that Cruz would never have made the joke if he knew she could hear, but it had made her wonder. What would Joanne think about learning that Danny had acquired a family in the past eighteen months? Would she disapprove? Would she blame Kara?

Danny chose that moment to pop his head out of the blanket. "Hey, what are you doing over there? The bed is getting cold."

"I was having trouble sleeping," Kara replied. No reason let him know that she had been awake since he got home. She checked the clock. 0615. "What is your schedule for today? I told Andrea I would come by this morning to check in."

"I thought I would let Chris have some time alone with Mom this morning. I doubt we have the right equipment to do any outside training today so we'll probably go to the gun range and maybe do some rock climbing. And I need to update the Captain about something my mother told me," Danny hesitated. "Is it safe to take Frankie out in this weather?"

Kara shot Danny a look. "Of course we can take her out in this weather. Do you think that your parents stayed in for six months of the year when you were a baby?"

"Probably not," Danny admitted. "You want to go see Andrea and then we can meet at the hospital to visit Mom around noon?"

"Sounds like a plan."

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Four hours later, Kara wandered into Andrea's office. Her first stop had been the CIC training center to check on her class. Despite Alicia's disapproval, Kara had stayed for almost two hours monitoring each student and talking to Nishokia about the progress that everyone – even Cadet Choy – had made. It was definitely time to start more practical training.

"There you are," Andrea said. "I heard a rumor that you were on base this morning. I was starting to think you were avoiding me."

"I just can't stay away," Kara replied with a laugh. "I need my daily dose of the Nathan James."

"Having the entire TAC team live with you isn't enough?"

"They are kind of like kids at a sleepover," Kara replied. She began stripping off the blankets she had wrapped Frankie in for the short walk from the other building. "Today is Frankie's first time out in the snow. I don't think she likes it."

"Let me see the princess." Andrea kissed Frankie's nose, cooing softly down at the infant. "Lily never liked the snow either. She hated the cold. Even as a little kid she didn't want to make a snowmen or go sledding."

"I'm not a fan either," Kara admitted. "Danny likes a cold weather. He says that it is easier to add a layer than to cool down. Being stuck on the James with no air conditioning in 100 degree heat was his idea of hell."

"Of course, not having any water made that one even more enjoyable," Andrea added dryly. Both women grimaced a little at the memory.

"I was hoping to catch Commander Slattery but Leslie said he won't be back until late this afternoon," Kara said, changing the topic. "I think it might be time to take some of the trainees out for a short run. Gator and Alisha volunteered and I hoped that the Commander might be willing to supervise. I would prefer to use the James if we can."

"Doubt that will be a problem," Andrea replied. "Any of them interested in engineering? I could use a few new hands."

"Actually," Kara considered, "There's one girl who is struggling with the computers but she excels at anything hands-on. She might be a good fit."

"Happy to talk to her." Andrea settled into her chair, bouncing Frankie. "So are you going to tell me what's on your mind?"

Kara started. "What? Everything's fine."

"Hmmm." Andrea smiled down at Frankie. "Mom seems preoccupied. Could it have something to do with a young man named Green? Word on the street is that Uncle Christopher has a bit of an attitude problem."

Kara closed her eyes with a soft groan. She knew better than to ask how Andrea had heard about the problems with Chris. Nothing involving the Nathan James crew stayed quiet for long. And drama involving Kara and Danny seemed to move at the speed of light. "Chris does have a tendency to be a bit overly dramatic, but I'm used to it."

"Trainees?"

"Danny."

That got a chuckle from Andrea. Kara continued. "I think his attitude had to do more with his mother being hurt than anything else. Now that Joanne is awake I'm hoping things will smooth over."

"Okay, so what has you so mopey then?"

Kara bit her bottom lip. "Do I sound insane saying that I am worried my mother in law won't like me?

Andrea laughed. "God no. That might just be the most normal thing you've said since we first shipped out."

Feeling slightly relieved, Kara flopped into a chair across from Andrea. "I know how absurd it sounds. I should just be thankful that she's alive – and I am – but last night Danny was telling Teylor stories about his mom, and I have to admit that she sounds pretty intimidating."

"I imagine that she would have to be in order to keep those kids in check," Andrea replied. "Danny is not exactly a pushover, but his sister takes the meaning of stubborn to a whole new level. You might be talking to Mama Green in a few years about on how to handle this little one when she hits that rebellious stage."

"I might need to," Kara admitted. "I just don't really understand family dynamics well. You've met my mom. I didn't exactly have a traditional upbringing. And Danny's family was so, well, perfect. The perfect American family, complete with the white picket fence and the apple pie."

"No family is perfect, Kara." Andrea stopped for a moment. "Besides, even if the Greens were perfect before, this virus has changed the meaning of family for all of us. Shown us how important it is to keep the people you love close. You and Joanne will figure out a way to make things work. Although you may want to think carefully about whether you want her living with you. I got along extremely well with my mother in law, but the idea of living in the same house with her long term? Not a chance in hell."

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Joanne was awake, sitting up in bed and eating something that looked like chicken soup when Danny, Kara, and Frankie arrived. They were later than planned because Frankie had been hungry after their visit to Andrea, and then Danny had insisted that they all stop at the cafeteria for Bacon to make Kara something to eat. While there, they had run into the XO and Master Chief. Kara had used the opportunity to talk to them about her idea to take the James out and give the trainees a little bit of practical experience, an idea that everyone had agreed would be beneficial. In fact, the Master Chief had offered to help organize the appropriate personnel, leaving Kara with nothing else to do.

"There is that granddaughter of mine." Joanne beamed at them. Smiling back, Kara began unwrapping Frankie from her blankets again.

Danny leaned down to kiss Joanne's cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was shot." Joanne grumbled. Kara resisted the urge to giggle. It was just like something that Caro would say. Joanne looked at Kara inquiringly. "May I hold her?"

"Of course." Kara set Frankie down gently on Joanne's lap.

"I wasn't sure about taking her out in the cold but she doesn't seem to mind," Danny added.

"A little snow never hurt anyone," Joanne said, distracted, her attention fixed on Frankie..

"Where is Chris? I thought he would be here," Danny noted, pacing from the bed to the window as Kara settled in the chair next to Joanne's bed.

"A friend of his, a guy named Ben, dropped by. He was organizing a game of indoor soccer and Chris went to join them."

"Really?" Danny's tone echoed Kara's own surprise. Ben was one of the TAC program trainees but as far as Kara knew, he and Chris had barely spoken. Maybe Chris was settling in better than he had been letting on.

"Yes." Joanne frowned. "Chris said he was staying on base. It's safe, isn't it?"

"Of course. I was just surprised. Chris hasn't wanted to leave your side since you got here," Danny explained.

"I think he got sick of twenty questions." Joanne's attention returned to Frankie. "She has your hands and feet, Danny. Otherwise she seems to look a lot like you, Kara."

"She does," Kara replied. "My mother says that Frankie looks just like me as a baby."

"Is your mother here in Norfolk?" Joanne ventured.

"Yes, she lived here prior to the virus hitting. She and her boyfriend Peter are very involved with the city council," Kara explained. "I'm sure that you'll meet her soon."

"I heard from Chris that your house is the new Grand Central Station."

Kara wasn't sure if Joanne was joking or not, but Danny laughed. "I learned from you and Dad. The more the merrier."

"It isn't that bad. Just Danny, Frankie, me and Halsey. And Caro and …" Kara stopped, uncertain what Joanne's feelings were on co-habitation and not wanting to put Caro in an uncomfortable position. "And Chris has been staying with us, of course."

"I got the impression that Teylor is there a lot as well," Joanne commented. She glanced at Danny. "Your sister wouldn't tell me how that happened."

Danny shrugged. "Beats me. I turned around and they were kissing. Literally. You know Caro. She made up her mind and went for it."

"How did the two of you meet?"

Danny didn't bother with any subterfuge. "On the Nathan James. We broke the frat rules. Blew them out of the water really." Kara choked but a sideways glance showed that Joanne looked amused rather than horrified. "Me mostly. I kept switching my duty shifts so we would be on the same schedule. I probably would have gotten us both kicked out of the Navy if the virus hadn't hit. That made everyone forget about the frat rules."

"Except Captain Chandler," Kara muttered.

"The Captain gave us a couple weeks of extra duty when he found out," Danny acknowledged. "Otherwise nobody cared."

Joanne looked back and forth between the two of them and Kara fought the urge to squirm. Finally Joanne sighed, rolling her eyes. "And you think that your sister is single-minded. You, Daniel Green, need to take a look in the mirror."

Danny shrugged, sliding an arm around Kara's shoulders. "Hey, it worked, didn't it? I got the girl."

"Just you wait," Joanne replied. "Someday some young man is going to say that about Frankie here and I am going to laugh my ass off."

Kara relaxed for the first time since walking into the room. Joanne obviously didn't care how Kara and Danny had met and any ball-busting seemed to be directed in Danny's direction. Maybe Danny really had just been giving Cruz a hard time.

After a few more minutes of chatting, focusing mostly on Frankie, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I thought I heard Danny's voice," Rachel said as she entered. "I know that you want to catch up but Mrs. Green needs her rest and despite your visit to the training program this morning, Kara, you are supposed to be taking it easy."

"I just sat and watched," Kara protested.

"Which is why I am not putting you on house arrest," Rachel replied. As she began to bundle Frankie up, Kara could have sworn that she saw Rachel wink at Danny.

"Have you been sick, Kara?" Joanne asked, her voice concerned.

"Mastitis," Kara replied quietly. There was something embarrassing about telling her mother-in-law that she had a breast infection, even if said mother-in-law was a doctor.

Joanne winced. "Ouch. I had a couple rounds myself. The worst pain of my life – and I had three children without an epidural. Getting shot is nothing in comparison."

"Mom!" Danny winkled his face, grumbling. "Put that under things that I did not need to know."

"They are called breasts, Daniel. All women have them."

Danny actually shuddered. "We'll see you tomorrow, Mom."

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Kara shot Danny a puzzled glance as they pulled away from the base entrance and, instead of turning left towards their house, Danny turned right.

"Sorry, I have to pick something up at city hall," Danny explained. "I figured you wouldn't mind."

"That's fine." Frankie was asleep in the back and Kara had nothing pressing to do at home. Might as well enjoy the extra time with Danny. "I like your mom. She reminds me of Caro. They have the same sense of humor."

"That's probably why they clash. Neither one of them likes to be wrong," Danny replied as he maneuvered the jeep around a group of pedestrians and pulled into the parking lot next to city hall.

Kara was about to respond when something caught her eye. "They have Christmas trees."

She watched as a young family – man, woman and two children – picked out one of the trees that were lined up against the building, a young boy squealing in delight. It all looked so surprisingly normal. The way it would have been before the virus hit. Last year Christmas had been all but forgotten as the Red Flu continued its deadly spread. Kara and Danny had been in the relative safety of the James but there had been no celebration there either. Christmas had simply been another reminder of all that they had lost. The James was supposed to have returned to Norfolk before the holidays. They should have been on leave, home with their families. Instead they were in the middle of the ocean, hoping and praying that Doctor Scott would develop a vaccine for the virus.

Danny pulled up to the line of trees. "That's why we are here. I reserved one. We just need to pick it up."

"Really?" Kara was certain that her voice was as animated as the little boy she had been watching. More seriously she added, "For Frankie, of course."

"Oh, obviously." But the smug look on his face told Kara that Danny wasn't fooled.

Kara could hardly contain her excitement as Danny spoke with someone and began walking towards a tree set to the side. Ideally she would have liked to have picked the tree out herself, but she didn't want to wake Frankie and it was rather cold to keep the baby outside long anyway. A minute later Danny had returned and placed the small tree in the back of the jeep.

"I can't believe that we have a Christmas tree! I saw some decorations up in the attic that we can use. It might be a little weird because they belong to someone else, but I can set anything that looks personal aside. And I think I have some boxes of ornaments at the apartment too. Maybe tomorrow we can swing by and pick them up." Kara stopped, noticing the smirk on Danny's face. "What is that look for?"

Danny's smile grew. "I just haven't seen you this excited before. It's cute. Before you make too many plans, though, you should know that I already took care of getting the ornaments from your apartment. Well, Debbie did anyway. She dropped them by the house this morning."

"My mom helped?"

"Yup. She was the one that told me about the trees. She said that you loved Christmas as a child."

Kara fought back tears. Unlike many of her childhood memories, Kara had only good recollections of Christmas. No matter what else was going on, Debbie has made a point of decorating the house and getting a Christmas tree. The two of them would sing carols together and make gingerbread houses, and Kara had always woken up to a pile of presents under the tree. She wanted to create those same memories for Frankie. "Maybe tonight once you're home we can put up the tree."

"No time like the present." Danny pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine before moving around to the back to unload the tree and carry it into the house. Pulling out Frankie's carrier, where the infant was still sound asleep, Kara followed.

She was surprised to see Danny squatting down before the living room fireplace. "What are you doing?"

"It's a little chilly. I thought we could have a fire and decorate the tree and then have some cocoa. Or something stronger. Tex brought over some drink that he is calling mulled cider. Although I doubt it has anything in common with cider. Or mulled, whatever that means." Danny tossed another small stick onto the flame before turning towards her.

"Don't you have to get back to the base?" Kara asked uncertainly.

"I checked in with the teams this morning and Johnson can handle the afternoon session." Danny smiled at her. "Besides, it has been pointed out to me by no less an authority than Admiral Chandler that I need to spend more time at home. So unless you have other plans, I say that we decorate a tree."


	40. Chapter 40

_Thank you so much for the lovely reviews Anonymous 120, Guest, and Sarah Carter! I did see the pictures Sarah and I'm really excited to see a few more pictures of Marissa on set. I really want to see a picture of Rhona but I know we won't – TPTB are just toying with us at this point! I really don't know how I can wait until June. Argh!_

 _I like that idea, Tata. I will have to noodle over it._

 _For those of you who are interested, I have written a tag for this story that I am publishing separately because it would bump this story into M territory (which I did not want to do). If you want to check it out, chronologically it happens before this chapter so you may want to read that first._

 _Hope you all enjoy!_

CHAPTER 40

"You invited that tight ass?" Tex muttered as he caught sight of Anders walking through the door.

"It's an open house," Danny replied, tossing down another card. "Everyone was invited."

And pretty much everyone had come.

During one of their daily visits to the hospital, Joanne had wistfully mentioned that the Green family always held an open house on Christmas Eve. Kara had jumped on the idea of resurrecting the tradition and recruited Alisha to help. Thankfully Alisha had been the event coordinator for her college sorority and had lots of experience planning large events.

Because tonight had definitely turned into a large event.

It was no surprise that the majority of the Nathan James crew was in attendance, given that half of them could be found here on any given day. And Danny had been unsurprised when Leslie and Yates and several of Danny's former trainees in the accelerated program arrived. But a large number of the younger crowd had accepted the invitation as well. Danny had given Chris free reign to invite anyone that he wanted, and the teenager had evidently taken him at his word. Chris, Ray, Kat and a number of the students from both training programs were currently in the backyard hanging around the bonfire roasting marshmallows (and likely sneaking beer). Watching them through the window, Danny had been reminded, once again, that most of these teenagers had nowhere else to be on Christmas Eve.

The military circle was rounded out by a large group of Caro's colleagues from the base hospital, and an assortment of Debbie and Peter's friends here in Norfolk. Given all of the medical personnel present, Rachel had graciously agreed to release Joanne from the hospital for the night. Per Rachel's instructions, Danny and Kara had rearranged the living room furniture so that Joanne was seated in the love seat next to the Christmas tree, her injured leg propped on an ottoman. That seating arrangement had given her a panoramic view of the room and kept her leg both elevated and out of the flow of traffic. Kara had worried that Joanne would be cut off from the conversation but that concern had been eliminated when Leslie planted herself on the love seat next to Joanne and proceeded to regale Mama Green with stories of those present. Once Leslie left, Debbie had taken the open spot by Joanne's side and, from the tidbits that Danny had overheard, the two women had been taking turns gushing about their granddaughter.

But even with the large number of attendees, Danny was still surprised to see Anders. The man rarely socialized with anyone, even his own team. It was, unfortunately, something that Danny had seen before in soldiers who had lost too many friends – a coping mechanism against future loss.

Catching sight of the guys playing cards in the dining room, Anders hooked right, reaching across the table to set a small, wrinkled paper bag down in front of Danny.

"For you. Merry Christmas."

"Should I be scared?" Danny asked as he examined the crumbled and rather dusty bag.

"Depends how well you can hold your liquor," Anders replied with what, on anyone else, Danny would have called a smirk. "It's absinthe. The good stuff. One of my guys brought it back from his honeymoon in France just before the virus hit. Thought you might enjoy a taste."

That got a chuckle of approval from Tex. "Didn't picture you as a rule breaker, Anders. Isn't that stuff illegal?"

"Not technically. It depends on the contents…."

"Forget it," Tex cut Anders off. "You have shot glasses, Green?"

Danny shrugged. He actually had no idea.

"I'll find them," Miller offered, trotting over to where Kara stood deep in conversation with Rachel and Kelly. "You in, Anders?"

"Sure."

"Miller just wants an excuse to start a new game," Yates argued. "He was getting killed."

Danny dealt a new hand, setting aside Miller's cards. "Miller always gets killed."

"Found the shot glasses," Miller said as he returned, his voice higher pitched than usual and his face fire engine red.

"Are you going to tell me why you look like a tomato right now, Miller?" Danny asked, sliding Miller's cards across the table.

Miller shifted awkwardly. "Kara was showing Rachel some pictures. She looks really nice in that black dress."

Danny lifted an eyebrow at Miller, biting back a chuckle when the younger man buried his face in his cards. It seems that Miller wasn't quite over the massive crush he used to have on Kara. Not that Danny disagreed with Miller's assessment. Kara did look rather nice in the black dress, a classic strapless evening gown she had purchased for an event a few years ago. No, the problem with the black dress – and the multiple other dresses that Kara had tried on that afternoon – was that nursing a baby had increased her breast size by a full cup, making fit problematic. Especially for formal dresses.

"What does Kara need a dress for?" Burk asked.

"Rachel wants Kara to wear civilian clothing for the wedding. Kara tried on some dresses this afternoon and I took pictures for Rachel to see the options," Danny explained.

Eddie choked on his beer. "Trying on dresses. Is that what you're calling it now?"

Danny shot his friend a repressive stare. Eddie could be remarkably juvenile at times, and he had the added benefit of being able to read Danny well, even better than Tex. Of course, Eddie had the advantage of having known Danny for most of his life.

Unsurprisingly, Eddie's comment drew the round of laughter from the guys.

"Better than claiming they were doing inventory," Burk teased.

"My wife used to tell people that we were cleaning out the closet," Anders interjected, his tone casual, as though he had not just dropped a bombshell.

"You were married?"

"Yup. Camilla. I went over to the dark side – she was army. Got killed in Iraq almost five years ago." Anders' voice was matter of fact, the voice of someone past the initial stages of grief.

Silence fell as Danny popped the top off the absinthe bottle and poured a round. "To those who are not here with us today."

"Amen!" Tex intoned.

"Holy shit that burns!" Miller sputtered as he finished his shot, earning himself a slap on the back from Cruz.

"Has everyone heard the news?" Anders asked.

"You mean the Norfolk City Council asking Commander Slattery to serve as the new chief of police?" Burk asked.

Anders shook his head. "Did Doctor Scott implant you guys with a neuro link or something?"

"It's the Nathan James gossip line. Great when the gossip relates to someone else. Not so great when you are the topic of interest," Cruz joked. "Isn't that right, Green?"

"Commander Slattery told us when he arrived," Danny explained, ignoring Cruz as he pointed towards the kitchen where the Commander was chatting with Andrea Garnett. The two of them had been spending a lot of time together and for half a second Danny wondered if they were more than friends, before dismissing the idea. Garnett was obviously still grieving for her husband and daughter and Slattery had not given up hope of finding his family alive.

"Think he is going to take the job?" Anders asked.

"Yeah, I do," Danny answered. "This has been coming for a while. With the virus under control and the population exploding, Norfolk needs a real police force. Commander Slattery is one of the few people to have the experience to get it up and running and he knows it. I saw him corner Dobbs earlier so it looks like he is already recruiting people. Plus, staying in Norfolk will give him an opportunity to look for his family."

"Sherriff Slattery! That sure will piss off Morse's wife!" Tex hooted.

"I really wish I never ran into either of those loons," Anders muttered. Anders' humanitarian trip north had originally been anti-climactic, as the small team from Norfolk provided the hundred or so survivors they located in Hoosick Falls with food, medical supplies, and doses of the cure without running into any problems. A week later, however, Mrs. Morse had appeared in Norfolk on a mission to free her husband from the jail cell where he had been residing since the attack on the processing center. Prior to the virus, the woman had apparently been a big firm attorney in New York, and her new goal in life was to spring her husband from prison (even if he deserved to be there). When Commander Slattery flat out refused to release the man, Mrs. Morse had begun picketing city hall and appearing randomly at the homes of the city council members to plead her case. Danny assumed that it was the last act which had agitated the council enough to formally establish a police force and to ask Commander Slattery to run it. Danny grinned. He could only imagine how the XO would react if Mrs. Morse decided to turn up on his doorstep.

"She might be crazy but that doesn't mean she is wrong," Cruz pointed out, surprising everyone. "We can't hold the guy forever without a trial, even if he did take a bunch of people hostage. It violates the constitution."

"That sounds suspiciously like my sister talking," Danny noted.

"Caro does have a strong opinion on the topic," Cruz admitted with a shrug.

"Is there anything she _doesn't_ have a strong opinion about?" Wolf retorted, earning a laugh from Cruz.

"What happens to the James if the Commander goes back to being a cop?" Miller was the one to ask the obvious question.

"Captain Chandler mentioned using her for short hops up and down the coast. A few days max. It will be a way to train the new personnel and free up some people to move to Solace," Danny explained.

"Looks like Commander Garnett might be looking at a promotion," Tex added.

"Change is in the wind," Wolf offered.

"How about you?" Danny asked Wolf. "You keep putting off that transfer to the Kidd."

"Actually, I put it in today. The Kidd will be back in San Diego in about a month and I am going to join her crew for the trip down to Central and South America, and then across to Australia. I'll be here for our excursion north, though. I can't leave Miller to your tender mercies quite yet."

"Is the plan still to leave the Monday after the wedding?" Cruz asked.

"Yep," Tex replied. "The Commodore wants everyone here to see him seal the deal. I'm accepting wagers on whether they actually make it down the aisle. Any takers?"

"No way. That wedding is happening come hell or high water." Danny snorted.

"You say that but when have things ever gone smoothly for those two?" Tex argued persuasively. "You watch. There will be a huge storm. There will be a new strain of the virus. A random ship from North Korea will arrive. There will be a new hostage situation. Mark my words, something is going to happen to derail that wedding!" Tex looked around the group, but either nobody was buying what he was selling, or they were all too afraid of what Captain Chandler would do if he found out they were betting against his wedding occurring. "Fine. Then let's bet on whether Kara has a fashion malfunction during the ceremony."

Danny slapped his cards on the table. "Excuse me?"

"Don't 'excuse me' Green. I saw those pictures _and_ overheard Kara explaining the problem to Rachel." Tex winked at Danny. "A nice problem for you to have, by the way."

"Ah, the nursing boobs." Eddie smiled at the memory. "Only bad part is that they are decorative. You can look but not touch."

Danny picked his cards up. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Of course you don't. And Kara was just trying on dresses this afternoon." Eddie shook his head. "You know, Danny, if you want to advance your diplomatic career you are going to have to become a better liar."

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"You, Ms. Granderson, throw a killer party."

Danny and Alisha were leaning against the stairs watching the ongoing darts tournament. After several elimination rounds, it was down to Kara and Burk, and Burk's hand was starting to shake noticeably. The room exploded into cheers and groans as Burk stumbled on his final shot, the dart missing the board completely and giving the win to Kara. Danny snorted as Tex held out his hand towards Miller. Only Miller would have bet against Kara given the large quantity of alcohol that was currently running through Burk's system. Burk had not stood a chance.

The tournament had been Alisha's idea, along with a cookie decorating contest. Although he had scoffed at the idea beforehand, Danny had been impressed by the creativity of the entries, which included an illustration of the Nathan James in frosting, the creation of an igloo from sprinkles, and a crumpled cookie entitled "earthquake." The honor of choosing a winner had been left to the Captain and Rachel, who had ultimately selected Bertrise's rendering of the North Star.

"I think I found my new career," Alicia joked.

"Being the Naval event coordinator would sure as hell beat spending six months a year out to sea."

"I will make sure to ask for a new assignment immediately." Alicia giggled.

"Have you made a decision about next week?" Danny asked, changing the topic. Alicia had remained on the fence about whether she wanted to go north with them to look for Sarah. "You don't have to come. I could look for her without you there."

"I know." Alisha stopped, her eyes moving around the room until she located a tall brunette who was standing several feet away chatting with Mason and Bertrise. "I don't want to go. But I need to. I need to be there if you find her, either dead or alive."

Danny nodded. He understood. She felt guilty. Guilty for giving up hope. Guilty for moving on. Guilty for finding happiness with someone new. They all carried that guilt – survivor's guilt was what Kelly called it (not that knowing the name made it go away). And, in Alisha's case, that guilt was exacerbated by her mother's crimes. In the same way that Danny blamed himself for sending those police officers back to the Nathan James when they arrived in Baltimore, Alisha blamed herself for believing her mother's lies. For _wanting_ to believe that Baltimore was the safe haven that they had all so desperately needed.

But tonight was not the time to talk about Alisha's guilt or Danny's guilt, or anything else of a serious nature. Instead Danny nodded at Val. "I realize that everybody has different tastes, but what is the deal with a rat's nest hair? Doesn't she own a hairbrush?"

"You are such a boy," Alisha retorted as she headed off in Val's direction.

Danny took the opportunity to check on his mother, sitting on the arm of the love seat. "Not so bad for our first open house. Are you having fun? It seems like you've had a steady stream of company."

Joanne smiled. "Leslie was most entertaining and Debbie is lovely. All of the work that she and Peter have done to spread the cure – it's inspiring. Of course, I would have taken almost any excuse to get out of the hospital. So I would have been happy sitting here by myself all evening."

"You know that you are a doctor, right? You aren't allowed to hate hospitals," Danny teased.

"When did you become snarkier than your sister?"

Although Joanne had asked the question lightly, it gave Danny pause. Had he really changed that much since that long ago day when he left his family behind in Connecticut? Had Caro? Had Joanne? Sometimes Danny had trouble remembering what he was like before – before Kara, before Frankie, before the arctic, before the virus, before Baltimore and Florida and New Orleans.

Pushing aside the thought, Danny focused on Joanne, worried that she was fatiguing. Rather than returning to the hospital, Joanne would be spending the night in Caro's room. "You ready to turn in? You don't want to sleep through Frankie's first Christmas."

Joanne shook her head. "Not yet. Besides, I doubt that I could sleep through the noise. I am shocked that Frankie and Tyler haven't woken up. They must both be exhausted."

"A little more rambunctious than your parties?"

"Just a tiny bit," Joanne replied, her voice amused. "Although when we were younger we had some good times. I remember one year when Laura Carlton drank so much eggnog that she fell asleep on the couch in the middle of the party."

"Really?" Danny couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of Rebecca's mother getting drunk and passing out, at someone else's house no less.

"As hard as it might be to believe, we were young once too, Danny." Joanne's voice was subdued. "I still can't accept what happened in Cornwall. And to know that Tom was involved. The boy had problems but still …. It's incomprehensible."

"Solace is returning next week," Danny said after a moment, hoping to break the somber mood that had fallen at Joanne's words. "I know that Rebecca will be happy to see you."

"How are things between you and Rebecca?" Joanne responded, giving him a searching look.

"Fine," Danny lied. "We worked through things up in Connecticut."

"Really? Because your sister told me a different story," Joanne replied.

"She did, did she." Danny turned his scrutiny on his sister. "Caroline!"

"What?" Caro approached cautiously, tipped off by Danny's use of her full name.

"I was just telling Mom how you made Cruz put all of his stuff in the garage this morning so she wouldn't know that he lives here," Danny replied, biting down on his lip to keep from laughing.

"You asshole." Caro scowled, punching him in the side. "Ow! That hurt!"

"You punched me!" Danny retorted.

"Well you have pointy ribs!"

Joanne gave an exaggerated sigh. "As much as I am enjoying your performances, do try to remember that the two of you are adults and we are not on a stage."

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Well into the early hours of the morning, Danny sat next to Eddie on the back porch watching the sun rise and enjoying the quiet. The guys had stayed up long after Kara, Joanne and Chris headed to bed, but had finally left when Miller started puking. Caro and Cruz had disappeared soon afterwards, Eddie having graciously offered to let them crash at his house as Joanne was occupying their bed. The plan had been for Danny to head to bed and for Eddie to take the couch, since Tyler was sleeping in Frankie's room and Eddie didn't want to wake him up. But whether it was because of the large quantities of alcohol they had ingested, the cigars they had smoked, or the sugar high from Bacon's fruitcake, neither Danny nor Eddie was tired. So instead of doing the sensible thing and getting a couple hours of sleep, they had ended up on the porch watching the sun rise.

Not all that different from the old days in Cornwall when they would go camping with Tom and Waldron, staying up late drinking around a bonfire, and then going fishing at sunrise.

"Remember the time that Waldron tossed your shoes into the fire?"

Eddie chuckled. "I had to hike three miles barefoot to the car. I got him back though. Remember the look on his face when he swallowed that huge spoonful of chocolate sauce and sour cream?"

"I thought he was going to kill you. God, he hated that stuff." Danny shook his head at the memory of Waldron chugging water in a vain attempt to get the taste of sour cream out of his mouth.

"Waldron was a good guy. I wish he was here."

"Me too." Danny stood. "Come on, I have something to show you."

Leading Eddie to the garage, Danny stopped before a large object draped with a sheet. Pulling the cover away, he revealed a crib, the twin of the one that sat upstairs in Frankie's nursery. "Merry Christmas."

Eddie looked at him, puzzled, the remaining alcohol in his system apparently impairing his cognition. "It's a crib."

"You mentioned wanting one for Tyler," Danny explained.

"This must have taken you hours." Eddie ran his hand over the light oak colored slats.

"A few." Danny shrugged.

"Why?" Eddie looked directly at him, the question sincere.

Danny struggled to find the words to explain. Danny had known Eddie for as long as he could remember. They had been boy scouts together, gone to high school together, and joined the military together. For years their lives had been interwoven. Then destiny had intervened in the form of the Red Flu and, in a twist of fate, Danny had ended up in the safest place in the world and Eddie had been stuck in a hot zone. While Danny had lost friends and his father, Eddie had lost so much more. Eddie had lost his wife, his parents _(at the hand of his own friend)_ , and his in-laws – and had been left to raise his son alone.

Eddie had lived through Danny's worst nightmare.

And yet somehow Eddie had managed to move forward. He had thrown himself into the counseling program here in Norfolk. He had agreed to rejoin the military (conditioned on his patrols being restricted to the Norfolk area). He had come by to check on Kara and Frankie (followed by pointed reminders that he wouldn't have to do so if Danny was ever home). And while Joanne remained in the hospital, Eddie had quietly taken on the roll of transporting Kara and Frankie and Chris to and from the base while Danny was working.

Despite everything he had been through, Eddie had been a good friend.

And Danny wanted to thank him. He wanted to show Eddie how much all of the small gestures meant. He wanted to show his friend how much their friendship meant to him. And he wanted to show the other man how glad he was that Eddie had survived.

But Danny couldn't find the words.

"Because I'm glad that you are here."


	41. Chapter 41

_Apologies for the late update! I accidentally deleted half of this chapter and needed to rewrite it. Anyway, excuses aside, I do really appreciate everyone who has joined me on this journey. Thank you ALL for your support and especially for the reviews – which always make me happy. This is your penultimate chapter so we are in full wrap up mode. Hope you enjoy!_

 _Oh, and a great big thank you to Scousedancer for the suggestion of a song that I used in this chapter. :)_

CHAPTER 41

Kara stepped into the small room to the side of the chapel, carrying the bouquet of flowers that she had just retrieved from Andrea Garnett. Rachel glanced in Kara's direction, her expression confused as she took in the spray of pink and peach roses. "Where did you get those?"

"Captain Chandler wanted to surprise you," Kara explained with a gentle smile. Rachel took the offered flowers almost tentatively, a light blush spread across her cheeks as she lifted the bouquet to her face, eyes drifting closed as she breathed in the light scent.

"They're real," Rachel whispered.

"They are. They came from the nursery west of town. Most of the flowers were removed to make room for vegetables, but a few of the rose bushes survived," Kara explained.

"I love flowers," Rachel admitted, her voice still soft. "Rather girly of me, actually. I wonder how Tom knew?"

Kara shrugged. Tex _might_ have mentioned how much Rachel loved flowers to Commander Slattery, and Commander Slattery _might_ have given Wolf and Miller instructions to locate something appropriate for a wedding, and the Master Chief _might_ have mentioned to Captain Chandler that it would be a lovely gesture for him to surprise his bride with a bouquet for the ceremony, but Rachel didn't need to know the effort that had gone into procuring the bouquet that she was now holding. Today all that mattered was that Rachel was happy, that the Captain was happy, and that this wedding went off without a hitch (or as Tex had half joked that morning, without anyone being shot).

"It's almost time. Are you ready?" Kara asked, taking a moment to examine Rachel critically, checking her dress for loose threads or dog hairs (the women had dressed at Danny and Kara's house and, no matter how often they vacuumed, Halsey's fur seemed to get everywhere). The tea-length ivory gown skimmed Rachel's figure perfectly, as though it had been made for her. In fact this dress had originally belonged to Andrea, who had worn it to a handful of events with her husband. Fortunately, Andrea and Rachel were the same height and, once Debbie had adjusted the bodice and added a lace overlay, the dress had been transformed into a gown suitable for a wedding.

And not just any wedding, either. Rachel would have preferred a smaller, intimate service, and had suggested that the ceremony could take place on the deck of the Nathan James with a few members of the crew as witnesses. That idea had been quashed, however, once President Michener informed them of his intent to attend the nuptials. After that the requests had poured in – from the Norfolk City Council, from the hospital in St. Louis where Rachel had recovered from her gunshot, even from representatives of foreign governments – until Rachel finally agreed to open the ceremony to all, with the reception itself being restricted to invited guests. Kara had seen the President arrive just before she and Rachel entered the sanctuary, and the chapel was a sea of blue uniforms, many of them lining the walls as there was far too little available seating to hold all of the attendees. Half of Norfolk was currently sitting in the chapel – and Kara strongly suspected that the other half would have been here as well if they didn't need someone to stay on duty.

Kara glanced down at her own dress, a navy blue gown that she could now wear without fear of a wardrobe malfunction thanks to the addition of gussets under the arms. The new panels were hidden under the short jacket that Kara wore over the sleeveless gown, a jacket that Debbie had ingeniously made from the material available after Kara had chopped and hemmed the gown to match the length of Rachel's dress. Not only was the jacket stylish and covered the modifications to the bodice of the dress, but it also provided Kara with some much needed protection against the winter chill.

"Yes…and no." Rachel took another deep breath, her face still buried in the bouquet.

Kara was unused to seeing this side of Rachel. She seemed … distracted. Tentative. Perhaps even uncertain. "What are you thinking about, Rachel?"

Rachel's head tilted to the side, as she considered the answer to Kara's question. "Actually, I was thinking about my mother. When I was a girl, I remember her telling me that the greatest joy in life was to be a wife. To be a mother."

Kara waited, knowing that Rachel would continue when she was ready.

"Once she died, I would remember her words angrily. I didn't understand it – I couldn't understand it. She had placed all of her joy, all of her happiness, all of her faith in the hands of a man. _And he let her die_."

Tears sparkled in Rachel's eyes and Kara reached out to grasp her friend's hand. "It must have been horrible for you. You were so young."

"Yes." Another pause. "But that is not what I was thinking about. I was thinking that I wished she was here now so I could tell her that I finally understand. Because being with Tom and Ashley and Sam is the greatest joy that I have ever known, and I sincerely hope that I will be given the opportunity to experience motherhood from the beginning. But at the same time…"

"You feel guilty," Kara finished the sentence. "About Darien."

"Yes." The word was a sigh.

"The virus reshaped our world, Rachel. Without the virus I never would have met Danny, Mason wouldn't have met Betrise, Alisha wouldn't have met Val, and Caro and Teylor probably would have never gotten together….although who knows with those two. You once told me that you needed to let Michael go, to make peace with his death, for your own sanity. Maybe you need to do the same with Darien." Kara grabbed a tissue to dab at Rachel's makeup. "But not today. Today is a day to focus on the living. Today there is a man out there waiting for you. A man who _will not_ betray your trust like your father did. And, given that it is now two minutes after eleven and we both know how the Admiral feels about tardiness, a man who is probably assuming the worst and assembling a tactical team to break down the door as we speak."

That drew a chuckle from Rachel and she straightened her shoulders, taking the tissue that Kara held out to her. "You're right. Perhaps you should let someone know that we will be just a minute."

"Take all the time you need, Rachel." Kara grinned at her friend. "The Captain will wait."

Exactly seven minutes after Kara informed Commander Slattery that the bride would be late, Kara preceded Rachel down the aisle. As she walked, Kara caught sight of Danny, standing near the exit between Burk and Miller, the entire team ready to slip out when it was time for the arch of swords. Kara wondered, for the first time in months, what her life would be like right now if there had been no virus. A life without Danny. A life without Rachel or Tex or Alisha (who never would have been transferred to the Nathan James without Mrs. Granderson's interference) or Bertrise or Wolf or Caro or Chris or Joanne or Eddie. A life where Debbie never stopped drinking. A life where Frankie was never born.

It was a life that Kara could no longer imagine.

And a life which, no matter how much she mourned those who had died, Kara did not want.

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With the formality of the ceremony over, the atmosphere was much more relaxed as the roughly two hundred guests moved from the chapel to the base for the reception. Peter, Bacon, and Alisha had coordinated on the décor and food, and notwithstanding the short planning period, everything had come together beautifully. The guests were just finishing their dinner (courtesy of the President, who had provided the prime rib as his wedding present), when Admiral Chandler stood, Rachel by his side. The din in the room immediately ceased as he picked up the microphone that Val (who was coordinating the sound) had brought by the head table a few minutes earlier.

"I know that you were waiting impatiently for Commander Slattery's speech, but Rachel and I decided to upstage him tonight." The Captain's words drew a few chuckles.

"Thank God," Mike mumbled loudly. "I was starting to think that I might have to improvise."

"Over a year ago I stood before many of you on the deck of the Nathan James and told you that I had news. Devastating news. News that would have crushed many crews." The Captain paused, his gaze travelled around the room. "But not this crew. Despite the odds, despite the challenges, this crew persevered. And standing here next to my beautiful wife, seeing the faces of my children, I know in my heart that I would not be here without each and every one of you. So I thank you. I thank you for following me. For trusting me. For allowing me the honor of serving as Captain to the best crew in the United States Navy. And as we move into this next chapter of all of our lives, I hope you will continue to allow me - and my wife - the honor of living with you, working with you, as we rebuild this great nation."

Before the room could erupt into cheers, Captain Chandler held up his hand, passing the microphone to Rachel.

"I promise not to keep you long," Rachel said, with a saucy glance at her new husband. "But I did want to add a few words. I came to you a stranger, and the first thing that I did was lie to you. I cannot tell you how often I have regretted that fact. But in spite of that rather rocky start, you accepted me. You helped me. You believed in me – even when I didn't believe in myself. You became my friends. And then you became my family. I would not be here today without all of you, and for that I thank you. All of you."

Commander Slattery was the first to speak, raising his glass of scotch high above his head. "To Tom and Rachel."

Kara, along with the entire room, tipped her glass to the newlyweds, who stood with their arms wrapped around each other.

"To Tom and Rachel!"

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"You look lovely tonight, Kara. I am glad you were able to locate a suitable dress." Mike said as he twirled Kara expertly across the floor. Shania Twain's "From this Moment On" was playing over the speakers and, per tradition, Kara and Mike had joined Tom and Rachel on the dance floor for the second half of the song.

From the sparkle in Mike's eyes, Kara was certain that the Commander was well aware exactly what the problem had been with finding her a dress. "I understand that Cruz and Rios cleaned up in the betting pool."

"Green bet against you?"

"He decided that participating would be a conflict of interest after I asked him how much he enjoyed sleeping on the couch," Kara explained.

Slattery chuckled. "Cruz winning makes sense, given that he had inside information. But how did Rios know that you could sew?"

"According to Doc, sewing isn't that much different from stitches," Kara replied. "To return the compliment, I was unaware that you could dance."

A shadow crossed Mike's face. "Christine and I took a class a few years back. She used to like to do couple activities. We also did a painting class and some cooking classes."

"I have a hard time imagining you painting," Kara replied lightly.

"I wasn't too bad," the Commander replied. "Although the instructor kept mumbling something about needing to understand subtlety. The jackass. As if I needed a lesson in subtly."

Kara fought to restrain a giggle, but fortunately Danny picked that moment to tap on Commander Slattery's shoulder. "May I cut in?"

The Commander gave Danny an amused look as he stepped back and let Danny take Kara's arm. "Impatient to dance with your wife, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir," Danny replied easily. "Plus, there is someone looking for you. Over by the entrance."

Curious, Kara looked as well, doing a double-take as she recognized the woman who stood there. Christine Slattery. She looked gaunt and tired, as did the two teenage girls next to her, all three of their eyes fixed on Mike. Who stood there frozen, as though he had seen a ghost. Apparently having noticed what was going on, Tom and Rachel stopped dancing, and Tom gestured for the three to join them. The trio had taken only a handful of steps when Mike broke free of his trance, and in a second he had reached them, pulling all three into his arms as tears rolled unabashed down his cheeks.

The Captain moved towards Val, and a moment later the song changed from Shania to Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." Kara exchanged a questioning glance with Rachel. As Tom returned, both women turned in his direction.

"It was their wedding song," Tom explained.

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Hours later, Kara leaned against Danny, Frankie asleep on her chest. Around them the party was continuing at full speed. Thirty minutes ago Bacon had disappeared and returned with several overflowing platters of pastries. The sugar and accompanying coffee had given the guests a second wind and the dance floor was hopping. Alisha, Burk, Betrise and even Kelly had attempted to drag Kara onto the floor, but she had declined all of the invitations.

Kara turned her head to look at Danny. "I feel like an old lady. Ten o'clock and I am ready to go home, kick off my shoes and go to bed."

His arm tightening, Danny pulled her more firmly against his side. "Getting up at five a.m. with a cranky baby will do that to you."

"Looks like Caro and Teylor made up." Kara gestured to the side of the room where the two stood, Caro snagging sips from Cruz's beer. "What were they fighting about anyway?"

"Cruz asked her what size ring she wore."

That caught Kara's interest and she sat up slightly, turning so that she had a better view of Danny's face. "And that _upset_ Caro? Wasn't she mad at his on Christmas because he _didn't_ propose? She had a whole rant about having known each other for years and not wanting to waste any more time and how he could be killed and nobody would even bother to inform her because she was just his girlfriend - as though you wouldn't tell her immediately."

Danny chuckled. "She was. She wants him to propose. Just not give her a ring. Something about it being a medieval tradition where a ring symbolizes ownership of the wife by the husband. Caro's usual random rant. I was only half listening. I told Cruz to buy her a necklace instead and tell her it was a leash."

Kara's mouth dropped open before she realized that Danny was joking. She smacked him in the arm before settling back against his side, careful not to jostle the sleeping baby. "You can be impossible."

"Impossibly cute."

"Cute … but impossible." Kara sat there silently, watching the crowd before them for a few minutes, her mind returning to her earlier conversation with Rachel. "Do you ever think about what life would be like if the virus never happened?"

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" Kara sat up to look at her husband, flabbergasted.

Danny shrugged, taking a sip of his beer. "I mean no. I never think about it. Why would I?"

"Danny," Kara said with exaggerated patience. "You second-guess everything. You've even said that it is part of your job."

Danny's eyes grew distant and he absently took a sip of his beer. "I second-guess things that I could change. Like Frankie dying. I wish I had told him to slow down on the stairs. Or checked his mask better. Or assigned him to help Smith instead of me. Maybe then he wouldn't have fallen. Or with Cosetti, I wish I had realized he was shot immediately. Maybe Rachel could have stopped the bleeding in time. But the virus? There is nothing that I could have done to stop Sorensen from doing what he did. So, no, I never think about it. Why?"

"Rachel and I were talking about it this morning. It's strange to think, but without the virus, we never would have met. Rachel would never have been on the Nathan James, so you wouldn't have been assigned to the ship either. I would never have met you. I wouldn't have Frankie. My life would be completely different."

"Things might be different, but I think we would still have found each other, somehow." Danny set down his drink and reached out to cup Kara's cheek before his hand dropped to Frankie's head. "Some things are just meant to be."

Tears threatening to overflow, Kara leaned forward to press a kill to Danny's lips. Sometimes Danny knew exactly what to say. "I love you."

"I love you too." Danny stood, taking Kara by the hand. "We're both beat and Frankie is out cold. I say it's time to ditch this party and head home."


	42. Chapter 42

_Thank you to everyone that joined me for this story. You have all provided so much encouragement and feedback – this story would not be what it is now without all of you – and I have enjoyed getting to know many of you. Writing the last chapter has been bittersweet for me but I know that it was time to end. I will still be around updating my AU story and working on some other ideas. And if you ever want to chat about TLS or Home or life in general, shoot me a PM or find me on twitter._

 _For those of you who are looking for new reading material and have not checked it out already, I recommend Late-Night Reader's story "A hard habit to break". It is posted on another site so you will have to google, but is so worth it. Just be warned that it earns the M rating._

 _I hope you all enjoy the final installment of Home._

CHAPTER 42

Danny slipped from the bed as quietly as possible. He froze when Kara shifted, an arm coming up to cover her face. He was fairly confident that waking up Kara – or Frankie – right now would be the equivalent of signing his own death warrant. Or at least be grounds for divorce.

Frankie had been awake for the majority of the previous night and, unfortunately for Kara, she only wanted Mommy. Or, as Kara sarcastically pointed out around three in the morning, Mommy's boobs. Both Danny and Joanne had taken turns holding, walking, and rocking the infant to give Kara (who was going on twenty-four hours without sleep) a break, but that had only resulted in screams that grew more and more hysterical until they all caved and Frankie was returned to her mother. The baby had finally drifted off around 0530 and the last thing Danny wanted to do was wake up either of them only forty-five minutes later. Fortunately, Kara relaxed as she burrowed her head into the pillow, her breath remaining slow and deep, and Danny crept the remainder of the way out of the room without incident.

Easing out the bedroom door, Danny headed to the kitchen with the intent of making some coffee. To his surprise, Chris had beaten him downstairs. Although Danny and Caro were both morning people (one of the many reasons that Caro was hoping to move from the overnight shift at the hospital to the morning shift), Chris was not. In the weeks since he arrived in Norfolk, Danny could count on one finger the number of times – including today – that Chris had voluntarily gotten out of bed before 0900. Chris took after their mother that way. Mark had been a morning person. Joanne quite emphatically was not. As children Mark had been the one to get up with Danny and Caro, the three of them going off for breakfast or to an activity, often returning home before Joanne or Chris awoke.

Danny considered his brother from the corner of his eye as he filled the coffee pot. The prior owners of this house had stocked it with rather nice appliances, and the coffee maker was no exception, capable of making both individual cups and a full pot. With Kara not drinking coffee right now, since she was nursing and caffeine seemed to give Frankie gas, Danny typically made only a single cup.

"Do you want some?"

Chris finally raised his head from the table where he was poking at a slice of bread. "Sure."

While the coffee maker bubbled, Danny pulled two mugs out of the cabinet and sat in the chair across from his brother. "Did Frankie keep you up all night?"

"Huh?"

Danny paused. Although Chris _appeared_ awake, he had been a sleep-walker as a child and there was a chance that the condition was reasserting itself. One time Chris had toppled a bookcase on top of himself in the midst of a dream where he was being chased by a bear and climbed a tree to escape. Danny could still remember the shock of being woken up by the crash, and then hearing his parents' panicky voices when they realized that Chris was _under_ the heavy wooden shelves which, by the sheerest chance, had caught on the edge of the couch and thereby avoided crushing the six-year-old. Chris, on the other hand, had slept through the entire incident and had awoken the next morning baffled by the bruises forming on his arms where he had been hit by falling books. After that incident, the bookcase has disappeared and Danny had helped Mark bolt the remaining furniture to the walls.

"Frankie? Your niece? The one that screamed most of last night?"

Chris shrugged. "I had my earplugs in. I didn't hear anything."

Danny fought the urge to smack his brother. _Of course_ Chris had managed to sleep through the commotion. "Okay, then, if my daughter is not the reason that you are voluntarily awake at six in the morning for the first time in, well let me think about it, _ever_ – what's going on?"

"Do you remember how Dad would get up early and you guys would cook breakfast together?"

"Good times." Danny chuckled. His father was, at best, an average cook but he loved to make breakfast. As a child, Danny could remember standing next to the stove watching the curls of smoke rise as his father poured the pancake batter onto the skillet. It was something he hoped to do with Frankie in a few years.

"I don't remember ever helping him," Chris said sadly. "You and Caroline used to get up early and the three of you would cook breakfast or go hiking or running or snowshoeing. I never went with you. After you and Caroline moved out, Dad used to invite me sometimes and I always said no. I wish I had gone, just once."

"You aren't a morning person. No big deal. You and Dad did other things together." Danny set the steaming cups of coffee down on the table. "Besides, you weren't missing anything. Dad pretty much always burned the pancakes. Where do you think I got my cooking skills?"

Danny laughed but Chris didn't follow suit. "But we didn't. Do stuff together, I mean. I did stuff with Mom a lot but Dad and I, well, we just didn't."

"Oh, come on, Dad went to every single soccer game you ever played. He always took you out for pizza afterwards," Danny scoffed.

"But Mom came too. It wasn't just the two of us. It wasn't our special thing," Chris persisted.

Danny paused, considering how to respond, struggling to find the words to explain to Chris that it had been circumstance, rather than intent, that caused their father to spend more one-on-one time with Danny and Caroline than Chris had experienced.

"Things were different when Caro and I lived at home," Danny began. "There were three of us to handle. I was ten when you were born, Caro was nine. Dad started taking us places so that Mom could spend time with you or get some sleep or catch up on work. We just fell into a pattern. But by the time you were old enough to start doing those things, Caro and I had moved out. Mom and Dad could both go to your activities – so they did. There was no reason for Dad to take you places by himself."

"I guess," Chris replied, still appearing dejected.

"Well, obviously I am not Dad, but I'm equally bad at making pancakes. What do you think? Should we make Mom breakfast in bed?"

The look on Chris's face was indistinguishable from the one he wore the day that Joanne suggested Chris take a turn changing Frankie's diaper. Then he grinned, a Cheshire cat smile that was eerily similar to the one that Danny utilized frequently when wheedling Kara into doing something she did not want to do. "Only if I can tell all the guys how much you suck at cooking."

When Caro entered the kitchen twenty minutes later, she was greeted by the sight of Danny and Chris wearing aprons, the counter covered in flour and egg shells. Danny was not sure how long she had been standing there, watching as he attempted to fix the lumpy batter by alternatively adding more flour and then another egg, when she started snickering. He scowled at her. "Are you going to stand there laughing? Or are you going to help?"

"I would rather laugh at you," Caro retorted smartly. "But I am afraid that you are going to set off the smoke detector and I don't really want to listen to Frankie scream for the next hour."

 _Crap_. Danny had not given a thought to the smoke detector. Kara would definitely be pissed if she was woken up to an ear-piercing alarm, followed by a hysterical baby. Sliding one of the kitchen chairs below the smoke detector, he quickly disabled it, cracking a window for good measure.

While Danny was busy doing that, Caro dumped her gear on the table and poked her finger into the batter. "It does generally help to put milk in with the eggs and flour."

A snarky reply was on the tip of Danny's tongue when he noticed something different about Caro's left hand. "Is that what I think it is?"

"What?" Caro's tone was casual but Danny didn't miss that she immediately slid her left hand into a pocket.

"The ring on your left hand? The one that looks suspiciously like an engagement ring? Did you finally put Cruz out of his misery?" Danny smirked. "Or bind him to a life of misery, depending on how you look at it?"

"I told Cruz that I would marry him weeks ago," Caro retorted indignantly. "Did you _really_ only make one cup of coffee?"

"Nope. I made two. One for me and one for Chris." Danny so rarely got a chance to needle his sister, he was enjoying her discomfort tremendously. "If you said _yes_ then why has Cruz been mopping and following you around like a pathetic version of Halsey since Captain Chandler and Doctor Scott's wedding?"

Caro muttered something under her breath as she poured more water into the coffee-maker. "You can be an ass, Danny. Teylor wasn't mopping. He was just being stubborn. He said we couldn't get engaged without a ring. I didn't want anything fancy, but I said that I would wear this one if it was really that important to him. It belonged to his mother."

For a second Danny was actually stunned into silence. Cruz had stood his ground with Caro and _won_? He spoke cautiously, thrown off-balance by this newer, gentler side of his sister. "Cruz was close to his family. Losing them was hard."

Caro nibbled on her lip. "That's why I agreed, actually. I can't meet his mother or the rest of his family. But wearing the ring makes me feel connected to them." Caro stopped and rolled her eyes. "I sound ridiculous. Next I'm going to start breaking into song and dancing around in a ball gown with mice and birds like a damn fairy tale princess."

Chris snorted, almost doubling over with laughter, his first addition to the conversation.

"It wasn't _that_ funny," Caro snapped, frowning at her younger brother.

Chris gave her a surprised – and slightly terrified – look. "Haven't you heard the rumors about you and Teylor?"

"Um, Chris, you …."

Danny's warning was cut off as Caro folded her arms across her chest, glaring at both of them. " _What_ rumors?"

Chris paled, all humor disappearing from his face as he glanced at Danny beseechingly. Danny shrugged, unwilling to put himself on the firing line to protect his brother from his own faux pas.

"Just, um, well some of the girls were talking about you and Teylor and, um, how romantic it is that he picks you up at the hospital all the time. Everyone is saying that you guys dated before the Red Flu and you broke up because of his job but once Doctor Scott found the cure he went back to find you because he was still in love with you and was terrified that you were dead or had married someone else but you weren't and you hadn't and after he found you in Connecticut and gave you the cure and you came here to Norfolk because you were still in love with him too and now you're getting married and they are going to say it really is like a fairy tale or at least a lame romance movie." Chris finally paused to take a breath. "I told them that the whole thing was stupid. Did you even know Teylor before the Nathan James made port at New London?"

Caro stared at Chris, nonplussed, before her eyes flitted to Danny. He knew what she was thinking. Part of that story sounded a little too familiar, as though someone had grafted his history with Rebecca onto Cruz and Caro's relationship.

"It is kind of true, Caro." Danny said after a few moments of awkward silence.

Chris looked back and forth between his siblings with interest as Caro flushed. "Did Teylor tell you?"

"Nope. Cruz knows to keep his mouth closed when it comes to you." Danny waited.

"We … kissed one night, down in Lejeune when I was visiting Danny," Caro admitted, her eyes darting between Danny and Chris. "But that's all that happened. Teylor wouldn't date me without getting Danny's approval first because they were friends and I … I got pissed and didn't talk to him for a couple of years after that."

The story was pretty much what Danny had expected, although knew Caro well enough to suspect that more had happened than she was letting on. Caro could be completely unreasonable at times, but for her to stay pissed at Cruz for years, there had to have been more to this than a single kiss. Caro was probably white-washing the story for Chris's benefit, although given the smirk on Chris's face, there was no need. Chris was eighteen, after all, which meant his mind resided almost permanently in the gutter.

Caro met Danny's eyes directly. "Are you going to throw it in my face?"

"Throw what in your face?" Danny asked cautiously, unsure of the tact that Caro was taking.

"Our fight before you left for the arctic," Caro elaborated with extreme patience, as though she were talking to a preschooler. "Teylor was your friend, but I never told you what happened. Instead I was a bitch to him for years, and you got to deal with the fallout. It was totally hypocritical for me to be so pissed that you didn't tell me about Rebecca."

Danny stared at his sister, nonplussed. That was about as close as Caro ever got to admitting that she might have been wrong about something. He bit down on his lip, stifling a grin. "Water under the bridge. Although I am curious, how did you get Cruz to keep it a secret?"

"It's amazingly easy to threaten men when your brother is a SEAL. All I have to do is explain just how many ways you know how to kill people and then that I am your favorite sister…"

"You are my only sister," Danny pointed out.

Caro shrugged. "Six of one, half dozen of the other. Actually, I don't remember what I said to Cruz. Just something about you holding a grudge for a long time and being really good at screwing with people and that a bad review from a commanding officer could really derail his career…. Apparently it worked."

Danny gave her a measured look before deciding to drop the subject. He and Cruz had known each other for years, and Danny found it somewhat unlikely that Cruz would believe Caro's threat. Danny would never have jeopardized his own career just to mess with Cruz. More likely Cruz had held his tongue for a very different reason, one that involved the hope of somehow getting back on Caro's good side. "I love you, Caroline, but you are one scary lady when you are pissed. I do not envy Cruz at all. Anyway, you going to help us make these pancakes or not?"

Taking the offer for what it was, an olive branch, Caro snatched the bowl of batter from Chris. With Caro involved and the appropriate amount of milk added, the pancakes that came off the griddle five minutes later actually looked edible. Once they had a stack, Danny handed the plate to Chris. "You can do the honors."

Danny and Caro trailed Chris down the hall to the formal dining room, which had been turned into a temporary bedroom for Joanne until she was off crutches. Once Joanne could handle stairs again, the plan was for her and Chris to take over Danny's former apartment. The building where the apartment was situated was close to the base, obviating the need for a car, and had the added benefit of being hooked into the base's back-up power system (as a number of the other units in the building were being used by active military personnel). While recognizing that it was the most practical option, Danny could admit to some reticence. He and Frankie had shared that apartment for years and, while Danny had been back on a number of occasions to pick up various personal items, he had never completely shaken the unnerving feeling that Frankie might just walk through the door, flopping down on the couch and snapping on the television. Danny assumed – hoped – that feeling would fade once Joanne and Chris moved in and made the place into their own.

"Wake up, you sleepyhead, get up, get out of bed, look out the sun is shining!" Caro began singing as they approached Joanne's bed. Danny shot his sister an appalled look. There was such a thing as too much authenticity and Caro had quite clearly crossed the line. God knew Danny had no desire to resurrect his father's favorite wake up song.

Still, Caro's extremely out of tune singing was more than enough to rouse Joanne. After a moment of startled confusion, she pulled herself to a sitting position and settled back against the pillows, smiling at the three of them fondly. "Did you make me breakfast in bed?"

"Yeah." Chris shuffled his feet. "Like Dad used to do."

"Thank you." Tears sparkled in Joanne's eyes but her smile remained bright.

"Do you remember the Christmas that some weird guy showed up in the door with a bloody nose in the middle of the night?" Caro said abruptly. "The one who had gotten in a fight at a bar and needed a place to stay and came by the house because he remembered Dad from high school?"

"Oh yeah, Ben...Ben..." Danny snapped his fingers, the name on the tip of his tongue.

"Yorks. Ben Yorks," Joanne filled in.

"That's it," Caro jumped in. "I remember being totally freaked out because he had blood streaming down his face. I don't know how Dad even recognized the guy, given that he had graduated five or six years before. Cornwall was small, but there were still a hundred kids in each high school class."

"God, that was such a mess," Danny said. "Do you remember how he bled all over the couch? Destroyed all the pillows? We spent hours scrubbing out the stains."

"Your father never could say no. Well, almost never." Joanne chuckled. "He did refuse to dress up as Santa Claus for the school program after the year that Caroline cried through the entire presentation because Mark didn't make it."

"I just wanted my daddy and he wasn't there," Caro replied with a giggle. "You would have thought that by the age of five I would have noticed that Santa and Dad looked an awful lot alike."

Joanne's smiled slipped. "This is what he would have wanted, if he could have chosen. He would have wanted to know that the three of you were here and safe. He would have done anything to protect you."

As Joanne's words sunk in, Danny recognized that his mother was right. Even if all of the chips had been on the table and Mark had known about his own death in advance, he would not have changed a thing. His father had lived his life according to a code of principles – one not unlike the principles that Danny had sworn to uphold. Honor. Loyalty. Protection of others. Mark had held onto those principals to the end, his death the result of his efforts to help others. And rather than feeling guilty about Mark's death, about not arriving in Cornwall in time to give his father the cure, Danny felt a flash of gratitude and pride for all that Mark had done throughout his life –for his family, for his friends, and for anyone else fortunate enough to cross his path.

Hearing a whimper from the direction of the nursery, Danny slipped out of the room as his mother and siblings continue to banter and swap stories, hoping to catch Frankie before she woke Kara. Danny paused at the closed door, listening for any sound that would tell him whether to enter. Halsey, who had followed Danny up the stairs, was less restrained and simply nudged the door open with his nose.

Halsey trotted over to Kara, who was sitting in the rocking chair, and laid his hand in her lap. Kara was dressed in the t-shirt and shorts that she had worn to bed the night before, her hair spilling carelessly around her shoulders. Frankie was curled into her chest, tiny finger jammed into her mouth as she sucked energetically. Both were fast asleep. Leaning against the door jamb, Danny drank in the sight. So serene. So peaceful. So reassuring.

Glancing upwards, Danny's eyes focused on the planetarium that hung from the ceiling above Kara's head, the only item that Danny had retrieved from his childhood home. He remembered making the small orbs with his father. They had spent the morning layering the paper-mache, waiting while it dried, and then carefully painting each tiny ball before connecting the planets to the ceiling with fish wire, where they had remained untouched for the next sixteen or so years. Even when the house had been turned into a safe zone and every other indicator of Danny's former presence in the room had been erased, Mark and Caro had left those tiny planets attached to the ceiling, as thought they had known that Danny would someday return to collect them.

Kara stirred, her eyes focusing on him as blinked away sleep. Smiling wearily, Kara raised a finger to her lips and she motioned to the baby she was holding. Danny moved closer until he could sit on the ottoman that Kara was using as a footstool, his thumb coming up to stroke Frankie's tiny hand.

"When did she wake up?" Danny asked, his voice a barely audible.

"Maybe thirty minutes ago," Kara replied in the same tone. "I could hear you downstairs talking to Chris. I didn't want to interrupt."

Danny grinned at her mischievously. "We made pancakes. You brave enough to try one?"

Kara shook as she suppressed a laugh, giving him a menacing look when Frankie reacted to the small movement by wrinkling her forehead and sucking harder on her fingers. "Sure. But if I end up at the base hospital with food poisoning, I will know who to blame."

"Think she will sleep for a little while?"

Kara nodded. "She just finished nursing. I think she has a tooth coming in. Hopefully that was the cause of the misery last night."

As Kara moved to rise, Danny stopped her, sliding Frankie into his arms in a seamless movement. "Let me."

Moving towards the crib, he rocked Frankie in his arms, listening for any change in her breathing before he eased her onto the soft mattress. Kara set a small lamb that Frankie had grown attached to – a wind-up toy from Uncle Tex – in the crib next to the baby before leaning tiredly against Danny's side. Danny slipped his arm around his wife and they stood there together, Halsey at their feet, watching Frankie sleep as the strains of the lamb's lullaby grew slower and slower.

After a few minutes, Kara tipped her head to the side, catching his eye. "You ok? You seem, a little bit off."

Danny paused, before pressing a kiss to Kara's forehead. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am."

Accepting the answer, Kara rested her head back against Danny's shoulder. And standing there with Kara in his arms, Frankie asleep in her crib, and his mother and siblings downstairs, Danny felt a sense of peace that he had not experienced since the day that Captain Chandler stood on the deck of the Nathan James and announced that he had received word from home. A sense that, for a moment at least, all was right in his world.


	43. Chapter 43 - Epilogue

_A/N – thank you to the amazing ladies at the Hangout for your help and support, especially for suggesting name for me to use in this epilogue since, as you all know, I am absolutely terrible at picking them. :)_

x

Epilogue

"Tell me about the day I was born," eight-year old Frankie said, her dirty blond curls bobbing around her face as she carefully poured a container of milk into the bowl of flour before her, not spilling a single drop.

Danny cracked an egg, added it the pancake batter as he smiled at his oldest child. Frankie might have gotten Danny's complexion and Caro's curls, but her personality was all Kara. Smart, sensible, and completely focused on the task at hand.

"You were born in New London, Connecticut. You weren't due for another month, but you got a little impatient and decided to come early. I was on assignment with the team when Uncle Tom called and told me that your mom was in labor. We had promised a stadium full of people that we would bring them the cure for the Red Flu, so we couldn't turn around. Aunt Caro waited up all night with me and Uncle Tex drove back to New London as fast as he could and I got there just in time to see you born. You were so tiny – only this big," Danny held his hands about a foot apart, "and all red and squirmy and you screamed every time someone took you away from your mama."

"And I was named Francesca Lillian Green after Franklin Benz and Lillian Garnett. I'm the only person in the whole world with that name," Frankie added. "Aunt Andrea told me so."

"You have a very smart aunt." Although years had passed, Danny still couldn't think of Benzo without feeling a pang of sorrow.

"My turn, Daddy!" Six-year old Mark squealed, bouncing up and down in his chair.

Unlike his sister, Mark had inherited Danny's impulse control or, more accurately, his lack thereof, and seemed to be fundamentally incapable of doing anything neatly. Still, every time Danny looked into that pair of crystal-blue eyes, the mirror ones to Kara, he found himself caving. He handed the bowl to Mark, watching warily as the boy began stirring more and more enthusiastically until a large glop of batter went flying across the table.

"You have to be more careful Mark. Now go get a towel and clean it up while Daddy tells you about the day you were born," Frankie said, sounding exactly like her mother. "And no feeding the dog!"

Halsey gave a disappointed huff from his position under the table but didn't move, knowing that it was only a matter of time until someone dropped a pancake on the floor.

Danny started pouring the rather lumpy batter onto the skillet. "I missed the day you were born, Mark. I had to go to Korea for a big meeting about the Scott Effect while your mother and Frankie stayed in St. Louis. But I lost my radio so I didn't even know that you were born for three weeks and I didn't get to see you until you were almost two months old. By then you were already twice as big as Frankie and you had a head full of hair."

"And I was named after Grandpa Mark, who was your daddy, and Grandpa Paul, who was mommy's daddy. But not after Grandpa Peter because that would be too many names," Mark continued, obviously knowing this story by heart. "And Grandpa Mark is the one who taught you to make pancakes when you were a little boy."

Danny reached over to ruffle the boy's chestnut hair, thinking about how much Mark's namesake would have loved to be here making breakfast with them. "That he did."

"Tell me story too, Daddy," three-year old Stevie interrupted, before stuffing his thumb back in his mouth, obviously only half awake. Unlike his older siblings, who had both been up since the crack of dawn, Stevie would have happily slept for several more hours.

Danny began shaping a pancake like Mickey Mouse's head, knowing that the tow-headed preschooler was currently obsessed with the character. "When your mother was pregnant with you, Aunt Rachel was pregnant too. You were supposed to arrive first, but you didn't want to be born and stayed inside your mother until you were more than two weeks late. Finally, you decided it was the right time and that same day, Aunt Rachel had Hannah. Which is why you and Hannah have the same birthday," Danny explained, flipping over the pancakes.

"And you're named after Daddy's friends Steven Berchem and Jason Smith. That's why your name is Steven Jay. They died in Cuba, saving the Nathan James from some really bad guys. That makes them heroes," Mark explained solemnly.

"And Hannah is named after Aunt Rachel's mother. She died a long time ago in Africa and she is the reason Aunt Rachel became a doctor," Frankie added.

"We's birthday buddies!" Stevie shouted.

"But what about Anna?" Frankie asked, concern coloring her voice. She reached over and gently stroked her two-week old sister's tiny fist. In response, little Anna squealed and kicked her feet in her bouncer, the same one that Bertrise had located during her "shopping trip" in New London so many years before.

"Anna came right when she was supposed to. She wasn't early and she wasn't late. She was exactly on time," Danny replied.

"But that's not exciting," Mark protested.

Frankie nodded seriously. "Yeah, her story isn't special like all of ours. And her name is Anna Deborah after Grandma Joanne and Grandma Debbie, so she has to share her name with them. It's kind of unfair."

"Actually, Anna's story is the _best_ ," Kara said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Mama!" Stevie screeched, jumping out of his chair to give Kara an enthusiastic, if slightly sticky hug, followed by Mark and Frankie.

Setting down the spatula, Danny leaned over to give Kara a kiss. After nine years together, he still wasn't sure how he had managed to marry such a remarkable woman. "I thought you were going to sleep in."

"And miss your breakfast?" Kara replied, eyebrows rising. "Never. You're burning the pancakes, you know."

"Shi….Rats."

Kara bit down her lip, giving him an amused glance as she pick up Anna, who was beginning to make little hungry grunts, and popped the baby under her shirt before returning her attention to Frankie and Mark. "Anna has the best birthday because you were all there to welcome her when she was born. She has the best big brothers and sister that a baby could ever want."

"That's true, we are pretty awesome," Frankie replied, and Danny coughed to hide a chuckle. "Plus, Anna has so many big cousins! I wish I had older cousins. It's not fun being in charge all the time. I'm supposed to make sure that nobody gets hurt but Jed doesn't listen to me _at all_."

Kara and Danny exchanged looks. Seven-year old Jed Quincy Chandler had a rather big crush on Frankie, something to which Frankie was oblivious, so his schemes to impress her continually fell flat.

"Give him a few years, honey, he'll get better," Kara said soothingly. "And you do have big cousins. What about Ashley and Sam and Kat?"

"They all left to go to college," Frankie said, pouting. Then she brightened. "Kat and Ashley said that I could have a sleepover in their dorm room. Can I go?"

Danny didn't hesitate. "Absolutely not."

"Your father and I will discuss it," Kara corrected, and Danny knew without any further discussion that Frankie would be spending the night with Ashley and Kat. Where they would probably let her use their make-up and try on their clothes. He shuddered at the thought.

Ten minutes later, Danny set a towering stack of pancakes and a cup of tea for Kara – real tea that Rachel had received from England – down on the table. After refilling his coffee, he took the now drowsy Anna from Kara, expertly cradling the baby in the corner of his arm as he ate his own breakfast one-handed. Danny chuckled as he recalled how clueless he had been when Frankie was born about diapers and feedings and nap schedules and, well, pretty much everything baby-related. Over the years he and Kara had gotten this parenthood thing down to a science.

"Daddy, what does getting snipped mean?" Mark asked.

Danny choked on the sip of coffee that he had just swallowed, panicked eyes turning to Kara. _This was so not his department_. Reaching over, Kara snagged his coffee cup and took a large gulp herself before looking at Mark.

"Where did you hear that?" she asked casually.

"Uncle Mike said that Daddy should get snipped and then Uncle Tex bet Uncle Rick fifty bucks that Daddy wouldn't get snipped and then Uncle Carlton said a bad word to all of them and Uncle Teylor said that little pinchers have big ears," Mark replied, slathering his pancake with butter. "What are little pinchers?"

"What have I told you about betting?" Kara replied in the no-nonsense tone that was so effective on both children and sailors.

"Betting is a bad habit and we shouldn't do it. And it's illegal because we aren't eighteen," Frankie responded earnestly.

"And Daddy says you should never to bet against Uncle Tex, because he's always right," Mark added.

This time Kara turned her disapproving gaze on Danny. He busied himself with his food, slipping a pancake under the table to Halsey. "Well, he is."

"Little pinchers is a way to refer to children," Kara said, expertly avoiding Mark's first question by answering his second. "But your ears are just perfect so Uncle Teylor wasn't talking about you."

Apparently satisfied, Mark dropped the topic and within minutes the three children had finished their breakfast and had headed outside for a game of tag, Halsey following behind them sedately. The German Shepard was getting on in years and instead of joining in with the game, as he would have done when Frankie and Mark were younger, Halsey now preferred to lie in a sunny spot, keeping an eye on them from a distance.

Kara leaned back in her chair, sipping her tea but sending repeated glances in the direction of Danny's coffee until he slid the cup down the table towards her. "I'll tell the guys to be more careful around the kids."

Kara actually laughed as she picked up his coffee. "Don't waste your breath. Telling them to stop betting is like telling the kids not to get dirty. Useless and results in a lot of lying."

Danny gazed down at Anna, running a finger over her whisper-soft skin, feeling a sense of wonderment, of awe, that he and Kara had been blessed with this beautiful little person. It was the same rush of emotions that he had felt the first time he laid eyes on Frankie all those years ago; a feeling of overwhelming joy, of contentment, and of gratitude for all that he had been given. A feeling that almost overpowered him at times like this, moments when his family was all here, together and happy and healthy. "You did say that this was the last baby. And four is a good number."

Kara drank his coffee in silence for several minutes, her mind far away. Danny tried a sip of her tea but quickly set it down with a grimace. No wonder Kara hated drinking the stuff – it was ghastly. When he looked up, she was smiling at him, her hand lifting to touch his scruffy cheek. "I did but….I'm not ready to make it final. Not yet."

Shuffling Anna to his other shoulder, Danny slid an arm around Kara, pulling her as close as the kitchen chairs would allow as they both gazed at the family they had created. "They are pretty incredible."

"They are," Kara confirmed. She took another sip of coffee. "And you know, Mark was right. It's never a good idea to bet against Tex."


End file.
